Rethinking Law, Society and Governance Foucault's Bequest

The product of a workshop held at the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Onati, Spain, the nine chapters collected here re- examine the idea of governmentality--most often associated with the work of Michel Foucault--to measure its relevance to contemporary sociolegal issues. The book considers whether political involvement should be a necessary component of a governmentality approach, challenging governmentality theorists who have analyzed conceptual practices without demanding that they be applied to local political systems. The contributors ponder topics including liberal government and resistance to it, unemployment, and crime as well as issues of philosophy and methodology. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR