Learning to Live Again
Contemporary US Memoir as Biopolitical Self-Care Guide
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3806463 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Megan C Brown, Megan Brown (0000-0002-9191-2384, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 359-375 |
| Publication date | 2013-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Biography (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0162-4962 • E-ISSN: 1529-1456 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1353/bio.2013.0015 |
| OpenAlex | W2078692645 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 5 |
Using Michel Foucault's concepts of biopower and "technologies of the self," this essay argues that memoir can function as a mode of lifestyle instruction, teaching readers about self-care while enforcing and perpetuating norms of health, productivity, and attitude. In particular, memoirs about addiction, such as Cheryl Strayed's Wild, Koren Zailckas's Smashed , and James Frey's A Million Little Pieces become biopolitical guides for living, as they explore the authors' deviance from norms and illustrate possibilities for reentering the realm of the normal, productive, and well-managed
Art history · Biopower · Environmental ethics · Memoir · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Law · Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,54 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |