A LEITURA FOUCAULTIANA DO NEOLIBERALISMO NO HORIZONTE DA ARQUEOLOGIA

Abstract

This study is grounded in the premise that, in the 1979 course The Birth of Biopolitics, delivered by Michel Foucault at the Collège de France, the archaeological method, typically associated with the 1960s, was uniquely employed to analyze liberalisms, particularly neoliberalism. The research aims to highlight the application of this method, identifying specific features present in the 1979 lectures, while revisiting Foucault’s broader project, the History of Systems of Thought, to understand the methodological coherence of his analyses. Characterized by a discontinuous and general history, this project integrates archaeology and genealogy, enabling Foucault to conduct diverse and rigorous analyses. Configured as an experimental endeavor, the study seeks to elucidate the choices of the archaeological method in the course and its significance for a singular diagnosis of the present, distinguishing Foucault’s work from Marxist perspectives or those viewing neoliberalism as a mere continuation of classical liberalism. Thus, it demonstrates that the archaeological method, due to its openness and experimental nature, not only underpins the uniqueness of Foucault’s analysis of neoliberalism but also emerges as a valuable tool for studying other historical events, without dismissing the relevance of complementary approaches.