Introduction

This introductory chapter sets out the aims of the book, positions it within the existing literature, and outlines the interpretation of Foucault’s views on power defended in the book. It highlights the fluctuations and ambiguities in Foucault’s use of the term ‘power’ and shows how, in large part, these fluctuations are indicative of a profound conceptual transformation in which Foucault can be seen to transition from a conception of power that (as suggested by Steven Lukes) we might call ‘ultra-radical’—informing his rhetoric in the mid-1970s, and dominant in the reception of his thought—toward a ‘pragmatic’ conception that began to take shape in the late 1970s and was made explicit in his last interviews. As is argued in the book, the ultra-radical conception is beset by serious tensions and inconsistencies, for which reason it has been rightly criticized. The pragmatic conception may not pack the same rhetorical punch, and is in this sense more austere, but it is far superior as to its consistency and theoretical fruitfulness. The book takes it as its main task to make that conception explicit, using it as a master key with which to retrospectively interpret Foucault’s previous work.