The Signature of Power ― Sovereignty, Governmentality and Biopolitics

‘Dean’s erudite and relentlessly critical reading of Foucault, Schnitt and Agamben extracts from these authors new insights about the signature of power ... Immensely valuable and a major contribution to social and political thought’
- William Walters, Department of Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

Mitchell Dean revitalized the study of ‘governmentality’ with his bestselling book of the same title. His new book on power is a landmark work. It combines an extraordinary breadth of perspective with pinpoint accuracy about what power means for us today. For students it provides sharp readings of the main approaches in the field. On this level, it operates as a foundational work in the study of power. It builds on this to reframe the concept of power, offering original and exceptionally fruitful analytical tools. It throws new light onto the importance of biopolitics, sovereignty and governmentality. Mitchell Dean has established himself as a master of governmentality. This new book will do the same for how we conceptualize and use power.

Mitchell Dean is Professor of Public Governance at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark and Professor of Sociology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.