Matters of life and death are increasingly matters of contemporary political and ethical concern. Power exercised in the name of life has addressed an extraordinary range of phenomena, from wellness regimes, vaccination campaigns and rewilding, to biometric systems of identification, refugee camps and aerial bombing. On the one hand new technologies extend possibilities of protecting and enhancing human (or more than human) existence, on the other they highlight enduring patterns of neglect and active eradication. In this course we will examine keywords in cultural theory related to biopolitics, looking at concepts they name, and considering how they might inform critical analyses of colonial, state, and corporate control of populations. In addition to working through a set of influential late 20th century theoretical writings and more recent responses, we will examine a series of case studies in which life and death are centrally at stake. Part of the course will be open to individual definition for those who might have established projects.
