Biopolitics, Bioscience and Governmentality
November 19th, 2015
Faculty of Psychology Diego Portales University (Vergara 275, Santiago)
This colloquium
aims to discuss current perspectives on biopolitics and its intersections with
bioscience, pharmacology, and medicine; and to propose readings that link this
knowledge with the individual and governmentality, especially in the Latin American and Chilean context.
The
category of “biopolitics” was reintroduced by Michel Foucault in 1974, and
became one of the central concepts in contemporary political philosophy. Over
the years, this category has become more complex due to the appearance of new
technologies and apparatuses of power that have studied life and its
politicization. New types of bioscientific knowledge, such as bioscience,
biomedicine and biotechnology, in addition to the use of drugs-, are having an impact
on political, economic and social relationships. At the same time, how these
types of knowledge and rationalities are driving the concept of “life” has also
been subject to criticism. Today, in an age when technology is advancing rapidly,
how life is understood poses new challenges to our understanding of the
category of biopolitics.
The colloquium
will bring together Chilean and international researchers, who will preferably
be working on projects funded by recognized bodies (such as CONICYT) or who are
members of consolidated academic faculties or research nuclei in areas related
with some of the following themes:
- Biopolitics, biopower and governmentality
- New types of bioscientific knowledge and life sciences (Neuroscience,
biomedicine and biotechnology)
- New technologies and apparatuses of power
- Struggles of resistance and counterpower
- Government and the control of public health
- Health, subjectivities and self-care: self-care programs
- Bioethics and the questioning of “life”
- Biomarkers: legal, criminological and bioethical problems.
- Biocitizenship
- Neurolaw and Neuroeconomics.
Participation guidelines:
- Deadline for sending
summaries (no more than 300 words): August 30, 2015 (include contact details).
- Notification of acceptance of papers for the colloquium
(by email): September 10.
- Deadline for sending completed works (in
Spanish and English): October 30, (Note:
to participate in the conference,
it is an essential requisite that papers be sent in both languages).
The final work must be no more than 20 pages long with one-and-a-half line
spacing (excluding bibliography and notes), Times New Roman font, size 12.
- Papers will be included in a dossier to be published
after the conference.
Email summaries
and papers to: jornadabios@gmail.com
This conference will benefit greatly from the attendance and participation of Nikolas Rose, currently one of the most renowned thinkers in Biopolitics, Bioscience and Governability, who will give a talk called: “Government mentality today: analysing political power in a 'neo-liberal age'”.
Nikolas
Rose is professor and director of the Department of Sociology at King’s College,
London (England). His work explores how the growth of science has changed
conceptions of human identity and governmentality, and the implications this
will have in future understandings of politics, economy and society. His
publications encompass a range of issues and disciplines, including biology, psychology,
sociology, politics and law. His recent books include: Neuro: The New Brain
Sciences and the Management of the Mind (co-authored with J. Abi-Rached)
(2013), Governing the Present:
Administering Economic, Social and Personal Life (2008) and The Politics of Life Itself: Biomedicine, power
and subjectivity (2006).
Organized by:
The Biopolitics and Ideology Research Nucleus (NIBI) (http://nibi.bligoo.com/)
and the Doctorate in Psychology, Diego Portales University.
Sponsored by:
FONDECYT Regular 2014 Project No. 1140901 Towards
a genealogy of pharmacological power;
Department
of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Talca,
Faculty of Sociology Diego Portales University
