The Foucauldian Subject and Neoliberalism as Critique of Power

Abstract

Taking as my starting pointFoucault’s view (1978a; 1997 [1978b]) that a critique of power rests in whatFoucault calls an analytical philosophy of politics, I outline Foucault’s account ofneoliberalism as a response to Foucault’s predominant philosophical question ofpower (1982) and a formulation of the Foucauldian critique of power. I arguethat, in his account of neoliberalism examined in view of the concept ofgovernmentality (Foucault 1978a; 1982; 1997 [1978b]; 2002b [1978c]), despitehis criticisms, Foucault (1982, 1997 [1978b]) supports, though notexplicitly, neoliberalism as critique of power. I conclude that the Foucauldiannotion of the subject addresses effects of disperse power relations andsubjection processes acted upon agents, to endorse, to an extend, neoliberalismas critique and counterargument to power.In arguing this, examples of discourses illustrating aspectsof my argument are introduced to highlight the contemporary significance of Foucault’saccount of neoliberalism.