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Governmentality - International Relations (6/7)
OpenLearn from The Open University
Overview
This video explores the concept of governmentality, a term coined by Michel Foucault, as a distinct mode of power. It contrasts governmentality with earlier concepts of power as direct conflict and discipline. Governmentality focuses on the indirect orchestration of conduct, shaping individuals' thoughts and actions to align with desired outcomes, often by fostering a sense of free will that is socially constructed. The video discusses the affinity between governmentality and liberalism, analyzing how liberalism's emphasis on free will can be understood through the lens of power. It then extends the concept to international relations, examining how states and international organizations employ governmentality to govern populations, particularly in transnational spaces. The discussion highlights how governmentality can challenge traditional notions of sovereignty, as seen in the World Bank's influence on national governance.
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Chapters
- •Power as everyday conflict between individuals.
- •Power as discipline, creating docile bodies in institutions.
- •Governmentality as the orchestration of conduct and indirect influence.
- •Governmentality aims to make individuals act as desired, even when unobserved.
- •Governmentality has an affinity with liberalism due to its focus on free will.
- •Liberalism posits individuals are born free, but governmentality shows free will is socially constructed.
- •Rousseau's 'born free but everywhere in chains' highlights the social molding of individuals.
- •Governmentality reveals how power infuses what liberals consider the key political theme of free will.
- •Post-structuralism and realism are not as different as often perceived.
- •Both acknowledge the importance and pervasiveness of power.
- •Power is not solely held by leaders; leaders are also embedded in specific ways of thinking.
- •Analysis should focus on the 'bandwidth' or 'bookends' of thinking that shape actions.
- •Governmentality can be applied to the realm between states and in transnational spaces.
- •It examines how states and actors govern populations in a globalized society.
- •The theory was developed for early modern, modern, and postmodern Europe.
- •Its applicability depends on the existence of a 'society' with independent actors.
- •The concept's validity is space and time specific.
- •Strong societies (e.g., Scandinavia) have the capacity to resist external governance.
- •In places like Guinea-Bissau, societal capacity might be lower, affecting governmentality analysis.
- •However, when states and actors meet in transnational pockets, Western approaches often set the tone.
- •International organizations like the World Bank use 'good governance' indicators.
- •Sovereign states are increasingly held accountable to these indicators.
- •This exchange resembles a pupil answering to teachers, not a sovereign state.
- •Governmentality can supersede sovereignty by imposing liberal standards, altering how states function.
Key Takeaways
- 1Governmentality is a distinct mode of power focused on the indirect orchestration of conduct.
- 2It operates by shaping individuals' thoughts and actions, often through the construction of 'free will'.
- 3Liberalism's emphasis on free will can be understood as a product of power and social construction.
- 4Power is pervasive and embedded in leaders and the led, not solely concentrated at the top.
- 5Governmentality can be applied to international relations, particularly in transnational interactions.
- 6International organizations utilize governmentality to influence national governance through standards and indicators.
- 7Governmentality can challenge and even supersede traditional notions of state sovereignty.
- 8The effectiveness and applicability of governmentality are influenced by the societal context and the capacity of actors within it.