The Augustan Principate and the Emergence of Biopolitics: A Comparative Historical Perspective

Authors

  • Shreyaa Bhatt Royal Holloway, University of London

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22439/fs.v0i0.5244

Keywords:

Sovereignty, Augustus, Tacitus, Agamben, , Auctoritas, Biopolitics, Security.

Abstract

This paper uses Foucault’s concepts “discipline” and “biopower” to expose the complexity of power relations in Augustan Rome and its historiography. Focusing on Augustus’ Res Gestae and Tacitus’ Annales, I argue that the absolute sovereignty of the emperor did not preclude the advancement of techniques to classify, hierarchize and normalize individuals, nor did Imperial sovereignty work against the development of a discourse about the enhancement and protection of the population. By demonstrating the conceptual and historical relevancy of Foucault’s modern power triad of “sovereignty-discipline-government” to first century CE Rome, the paper suggests that biopolitical societies have a far more extensive history than the one said to have started around the turn of the eighteenth century.

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Published

2017-01-06

How to Cite

Bhatt, S. (2017). The Augustan Principate and the Emergence of Biopolitics: A Comparative Historical Perspective. Foucault Studies, (22), 72–93. https://doi.org/10.22439/fs.v0i0.5244

Issue

Section

Special Issue on Foucault and Roman Antiquity: Foucault's Rome