Universal but not truly 'global

Governmentality, Economic Liberalism, and the International

Bibliographic Data

ID5823906
AuthorsWanda Vrasti (Cal Poly Humboldt, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume39
Issue1
Pages49-69
Publication date2011-11-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReview of International Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0260-2105 • E-ISSN: 1469-9044
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0260210511000568
OpenAlexW2325206289
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited78

This article responds to issues raised about global governmentality studies by Jan Selby, Jonathan Joseph, and David Chandler, especially regarding the implications of 'scaling up' a concept originally designed to describe the politics of advanced liberal societies to the international realm. In response to these charges, I argue that critics have failed to take full stock of Foucault's contribution to the study of global liberalism, which owes more to economic than political liberalism. Taking Foucault's economic liberalism seriously, that is, shifting the focus from questions of natural rights, legitimate rule, and territorial security to matters of government, population management, and human betterment reveals how liberalism operates as a universal, albeit not yet global, measure of truth, best illustrated by the workings of global capital. While a lot more translation work (both empirical and conceptual) is needed before governmentality can be convincingly extended to global politics, Foucauldian approaches promise to add a historically rich and empirically grounded dimension to IR scholarship that should not be hampered by disciplinary admonitions

Biopower · Global politics · Governmentality · Human rights · International relations · Law and economics · Liberalism · Political economy · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Realm · Sociology · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Law · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Social Policy and Reform Studies