The biopolitical president
Sovereign power and democratic erosion in El Salvador
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6254635 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jeffrey T Hallock (0000-0002-5718-4096, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC, USA, corresponding author), Charles T Call (0000-0002-6930-9220, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC, USA) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1583-1601 |
| Publication date | 2021-11-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Democratization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1351-0347 • E-ISSN: 1743-890X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13510347.2021.1949295 |
| OpenAlex | W3179677975 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 8 |
States have adopted a range of policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Some, mainly democracies like New Zealand and South Korea, took quick health measures without curbing citizen rights. Others, especially those led by populists like Bolsonaro and Erdogan, denied the seriousness of the health crisis even as they curbed political and civil rights. El Salvador is virtually unique in its COVID-19 response, combining a strong rhetorical commitment to health measures with clear efforts to undermine democratic controls and rights. President Nayib Bukele adopted an early travel ban and publicly vilified those who broke curfew by sending them and all who tested positive to quarantine centers for 30 days. He derided and defied Constitutional Chamber decisions against such practices, ordered militarized actions, and crowded gang-affiliated prisoners together in humiliating ways that risked exposure to COVID-19. We examine how Bukele’s policies conform to, and seemingly exemplify, Michel Foucault’s theoretical concepts of biopolitics and disciplinary power. However, the Salvadoran case also challenges key features of Foucault’s theory, suggesting the need to modify his Western assumptions about highly institutionalized states. Our analysis suggests that strong leaders can undercut citizen rights and agency, visible at the intersection of biopolitical social theory and democratic backsliding
Biopower · Democracy · Human rights · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Politics and Society in Latin America
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I Trends on Covid-19 and Populism
The politics of capital mobility in dollarized economies
Affect, Repetition, and Eroticized State Violence in El Salvador's Prisons
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |