<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper aims to understand the theoretical-political turn of Foucault constructed from 1978, which led him to a distancing from the Maoist left and to a return to the notion of subjectivity within a perspective of liberty, in the context of his governmentality studies. The historical-institutional aspects relating to his theoretical and political shift will be discussed, with basis on biographical sources and texts by the author published at that time. The conclusion is that Foucault used both Marxist and neoliberal contributions, avoiding reducing the politics to a confrontation between two projects, but considering it a complex field of plural strategies. He also began to theorize about the rights historically known as the ‘right of the governed,’ led by the question: ‘how to become subject without being subjected?’.</p></abstract>

This paper aims to understand the theoretical-political turn of Foucault constructed from 1978, which led him to a distancing from the Maoist left and to a return to the notion of subjectivity within a perspective of liberty, in the context of his governmentality studies. The historical-institutional aspects relating to his theoretical and political shift will be discussed, with basis on biographical sources and texts by the author published at that time. The conclusion is that Foucault used both Marxist and neoliberal contributions, avoiding reducing the politics to a confrontation between two projects, but considering it a complex field of plural strategies. He also began to theorize about the rights historically known as the ‘right of the governed,’ led by the question: ‘how to become subject without being subjected?’.

The Right of the Governed: Foucault’s Theoretical Political Turn

Social Change Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"The Right of the Governed: Foucault\u2019s Theoretical Political Turn"}

This paper aims to understand the theoretical-political turn of Foucault constructed from 1978, which led him to a distancing from the Maoist left and to a...

The Right of the Governed: Foucault’s Theoretical Political Turn

Published Online: Dec 24, 2018

Page range: 83 - 104

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scr-2017-0004

Keywords
Michel Foucault, Governmentality, Subjectivity, Neoliberalism, Welfare State

© 2018 João Leite Ferreira-Neto, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The Right of the Governed: Foucault’s Theoretical Political Turn

Published Online: Dec 24, 2018

Page range: 83 - 104

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scr-2017-0004

KeywordsMichel Foucault, Governmentality, Subjectivity, Neoliberalism, Welfare State

© 2018 João Leite Ferreira-Neto, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Michel Foucault, Governmentality, Subjectivity, Neoliberalism, Welfare State