A Vast Accumulation of Corpses: Necropolitics
Summary
Host Gregory Foley explores Achille Mbembe’s concept of necropolitics, analyzing how European modernity relied on colonialism and slavery to distribute death. The episode examines the historical scission between the "civilized" West and the violent periphery, arguing that liberal democracy is inextricably linked to these brutal foundations. Foley details how power is secured through the instrumentalized management of life and death, revealing the hidden violence underpinning contemporary political orders.
Topics discussed
Introduction to Achille Mbembe and Necropolitics
European Modernity, Slavery, and the Plantation System
Colonization, Migration, and the Metaphysics of Geography
Trading Post vs. Settler Colonialism and the Economy of Violence
Destabilizing Discourses of Race and Nation in the Periphery
Science, Technology, and the Plasticity of Life
Hobbesian Politics, Liberal Democracy, and Hidden Violence
The Plantation as a Space of Law's Suspension
Democracy's Bitter Sediment: Solar and Nocturnal Bodies
Industrialization, Colonial Wars, and Civilizing Massacres
The Limitlessness of Colonial Power and State of Fact
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