Discourses of Power From Hobbes to Foucault [Paperback]

In this accessible yet provocative text Barry Hindess provides a new interpretation of concepts of power within Western social thought, from Hobbes' notion of sovereign power to Foucault's account of government . This book will be welcomed as an important contemporary contribution to one of the key debates in social and political theory.Acknowledgements.

1. Introduction.

2. That Mortal God: Hobbes on Power and the Sovereign.

3. A Right of Making Laws: Locke on Political Power and Morality.

4. The Supreme Exercise of Power: Lukes and Critical Theory.

5. Discipline and Cherish: Foucault on Power, Government and Domination.

6. Conclusion.

Notes.

References.

Index.

The combination of impeccable scholarship and original insight makes this book indispensable to all who wish to explore the complex field of modern power. Through bold and invigorating investigations of the central texts of modern political thought, Barry Hindess uncovers their conceptual anatomy and reveals the pervasive implications of flawed understandings of power from Locke to contemporary liberalism and critical theory. Through a lucid exploration of the arguments of Michel Foucault, Hindess poses us urgent and challenging questions about how one might think beyond these limited visions of political sovereignty and political community. Nikolas Rose, Professor of Sociology, Goldsmith's College, University of London

Barry Hindess has crafted an elegant and incisive guide to the debates about power set in motion by Michel Foucault. He offers both a clear account of what is at stake in these debates and a sharp critical sense of how they could develop. Professor R. B. J. Walker, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria

With this book, Barry Hindess setl£-