Conclusions

This chapter offers a closing reappraisal of the Foucauldian conception of power. Summarizing the considerations put forward throughout the book, the chapter argues that most of the criticisms raised against Foucault’s views on power undermine the ultra-radical conception but leave the pragmatic conception unscathed. As a particularly telling example of the misunderstandings arising from the ultra-radical interpretation of Foucault’s ideas, the discussion focuses on what figures among the most comprehensive, severe, and clearly stated criticisms aimed at Foucault’s conception of power—those raised by Steven Lukes—showing that they go wide of the mark.