(C)
The term governmentality is a combination of the words govern and mentality, and is
frequently defined as the “art of government” or governing. It is a concept studied in social
sciences, a social theory credited to Michel Foucault, a philosopher from France. It includes the
practices of governments and their effects on the people who are governed. Governmentality
should not be confused with the simple act of governing however, at least not in a strict sense,
because it also includes the way people govern or conduct themselves, as well as how these
two issues are intertwined. Foucault coined the term governmentality and continued to expand upon it throughout the
last decade of his life. He died in 1984. It was in lectures during the late 1970s and early 1980s
that he established his theory of governmentality as a basis for determining the theme of a
given society’s practices of governance and the personal governance of its citizenry and the
interaction of the two.
Foucault gave a lecture in the late 1970s that bore the title “governmentality” or
gouvernementalité, in French. Related works created a stir and the concept grew more popular
throughout academia. The translated text of the lecture as well as several other written works
by Foucault and other scholars and an interview with Foucault were contained in the book The
Foucault Effect: Studies in Governmentality edited by Graham Burchell, Colin Gordon, and
Peter Miller.
There are several terms useful in helping to define further the concept of governmentality.
Technologies of power, technologies of self, and technologies of the market are the main points
of interest. Technologies of power are the resources used to help develop good behavior with
the idea of creating positive attitudes and attributes while attempting to avoid negative ones.
Technologies of self revolve around the capacity of individuals to control and therefore
govern themselves. This means restricting their own negative behaviors while promoting
positive behaviors because of personal and societal benefits rather than the rule of law.
Included in the technologies of self are responsibilization, healthism, normalization, and
self-esteem. Responsibilization indicates personal responsibility, and healthism is another
aspect of it, in that people are expected to live healthfully. Both of these are for personal and
societal benefits and without dependence on government. Normalization, in its simplest sense,
means living according to established norms. Self-esteem means self-empowerment, but this is
based on an earned respect of self through continual self-evaluation, personal discipline, and
self-improvement.
The concept of the technologies of the market is described as being “governed” into
buying things both wanted and needed due to psychological manipulation and personal identity
based on the types of items people purchase. Clearly, each of the technologies represented in
the concept of governmentality can work together or even overlap at times, helping to establish
the roles of both the government and the governed in a particular society.
【題組】80. What might best explain the craze for brand name products in modern societies?
(A) Principles of normalization.
(B) Technologies of the market.
(C) Desires for self-empowerment.
(D) Nations’ practices of governance.
The
concept of the
technologies of the market is described as being “governed” into buying
things both wanted and needed due to psychological manipulation(操縱) and personal identity based on the types of
items people purchase.
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