Power, freedom, and justice: rethinking Foucault

Political economist Mark Pennington will address this question exploring themes from his forthcoming book Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge and Freedom. Pennington provides a unique engagement between Foucault’s account of power and knowledge and the most prominent theories of social justice in the liberal and social democratic traditions. He will suggest that the "positive" freedoms and rights favoured by contemporary liberal egalitarians, social democrats and standpoint theorists threaten to encase people in a web of bio-political surveillance "technologies" that narrow their scope to act as self-creating individuals. Building on this Foucauldian critique he will suggest that if we are to avoid the dangers of this species of "over-government" we may be best placed to re-explore the value of the "negative" freedoms and rights emphasised by the classical liberal tradition.

Pennington’s interpretation provides a unique dialogue between Foucault’s work and the quest for social justice, highlighting the ways in which we can address the complexities of modern governance and create a more just and free society. Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into a thought-provoking discussion on the intersections of power, freedom, and social change.

Meet our speaker and chair

Mark Pennington (@Kaleidicworld) has been Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy at King's College since January 2012 and was Head of Department between 2016 and 2020. Prior to joining King’s he taught for 12 years in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London. He holds a PhD from LSE. Mark is currently Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society.

Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey (@Cheryl_SB) is Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science at LSE, Fellow of the British Academy and served as Head of the LSE Government Department from 2019-2022. Her research interests are in political economy, legislatures, deliberation and accountability.