Naslov
Governing through anxiety

Autori
Krce-Ivančić, Matko

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Foucault at 90

Mjesto i datum
University of the West of Scotland, Ayr, Velika Britanija, 22-23.06.2016

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
anxiety ; choice ; Foucault ; neoliberalism ; performativity ; psychoanalysis

Sažetak
In Foucault's analysis, the neoliberal subject is not a passive one nor satisfied with a simple exchange, but rather takes an active role. He has a motivation to go further and make himself ever more competitive. For that reason, such subject is, in Foucault's words, "an entrepreneur of himself". Thus, the everyday choices subject is making, in order to enhance its competitiveness, can be presented as a main constituting or, in other words, performative resource of neoliberalism. Drawing largely on Foucault's theory of the subject, this paper is dedicated to developing psychoanalytic insights on anxiety. Basically, a psychoanalytic philosopher Renata Salecl understands choice as a governmental technology but is going a step further, examining the interconnection of choice and anxiety in neoliberal context. In my opinion, this highly resonates with Foucault's conception of the neoliberal subject. Principally, it is often a case that the subject, as an entrepreneur of himself, cannot make choices that lead to the promoted ideal of succeeding in life on your own, by making smart and responsible choices. This is partly due to the issue that choices are shaped by one's economic circumstances, which cannot be swiftly changed. Nonetheless, the economy is not the only factor. Not all choices are rational and the unconscious has a significant influence on the decision making process. Therefore, I argue that the capacity of subject for self-entrepreneurship is subverted by the unconscious, making a complete internalisation of the neoliberal norm effectively impossible. Still, bearing in mind that the neoliberal subjects are asked to see their lives as a complex of rational choices, the inability to be a successful self-entrepreneur is regularly experienced as a grand personal failure. Consequently, the 'underachievers' anxiously try to improve their choices, desperately seeking for at least some kind of feedback. When this is accompanied with Lacan's insight that "whoever attempts to submit to the moral law sees the demands of his superego grow increasingly meticulous and increasingly cruel", it should not surprise that anxiety is a growing problem in neoliberal society. Paradoxically, the anxiety gets worse as one tries to choose better. Therefore, I identify anxiety as a governmental technology or, in other words, a disciplinary discourse exercised by the neoliberal subjects. This is where, in my opinion, theoretical psychoanalysis and Foucault's insights merge into a productive methodology for examining neoliberal society.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Sociologija

Napomena
Ustanova: University of Manchester, Manchester,
Velika Britanija. Ovaj rad podupiru: ‘President’s
Doctoral Scholar Award’ i ‘School of Social
Sciences PhD Studentship’ (dodjeljuje: Sociology,
School of Social Sciences, University of
Manchester), i ‘Economic and Social Sciences
Research Council North West Doctoral Training
Centre Studentship [grant number ES/J500094/1]’.

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