On the Politics of the Living - by Federico Testa (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Bringing the philosophies of Michel Foucault and Georges Canguilhem into dialogue, Federico Testa examines the notions of life and norms underlying our modern experience of politics.

Today's global health crisis acts as a stark reminder that life is at the core of our political debates and dilemmas. We can no longer think of forms of political organization, citizenship and participation without considering the materiality and precarity of our own organic life. Ours is a politics of the living.

Within this context, this book examines Foucault's work on the politicization of life and biopolitics through the lens of Canguilhem's notion of norms. Testa extracts from Canguilhem's philosophy the conceptual tools to re-interpret Foucault's ideas on power, and reconceptualises normativity as a process of the creation of norms that provide tools for political and social analysis and for thinking resistance. In so doing, he uncovers new and important possibilities for biopolitical resistance.

Demonstrating not only Canguilhem's underexplored social and political concerns but also the intellectual osmosis between the two thinkers, On the Politics of the Living is an urgent examination of the ever-increasing significance of the concepts of life, care and health in today's political discourse.

Review Quotes

"Federico Testa has written a masterful book. By shedding light on the Foucault-Canguilhem relationship, he provides us with new conceptual tools to address crucial issues such as the politicization of life and the ambiguous nature of the norm as both a normalizing and a creative force. Read it-you won't be disappointed!" --Daniele Lorenzini, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, USA

"In the new Golden Age of Foucault studies, Federico Testa stands out as one of the finest scholars of his generation. This book is a model of informed, detailed, adroit, systematic, and lucid exegesis, which recaptures Foucault's originality, rearticulates his positions, and re-establishes his importance as an essential thinker for our times." --David M. Halperin, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan, USA

"Testa provides a brilliant account of the linked dynamics of normative subjection and transformation, through his meticulous analyses of Foucault and Canguilhem. With stunning erudition, Testa illuminates the political and ethical possibilities that emerge from this joint philosophical encounter for both diagnosing and challenging our current politics of the living." --Niki Kasumi Clements, Watt and Lilly Jackson Associate Professor of Religion, Rice University, USA

"The most important study of the exchange of ideas between Foucault and Canguilhem, and a significant re-reading of each thinker's work in the light of the other. Testa is a vital guide to contemporary discussions of life, norms and politics through this compelling, powerful and persuasively argued book." --Stuart Elden, Professor of Political Theory and Geography, University of Warwick, UK

About the Author

Federico Testa is Lecturer in Sociology and Humanites at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK. He is the translator and co-editor of The Selected Writings of Pierre Hadot (with M. Sharpe, Bloomsbury, 2020) and Jean-Marie Guyau's The Ethics of Epicurus (with K. Ansell-Pearson, Bloomsbury, 2021).