Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society
<p>Over the past decade or so, a series of new or revitalised strategies have been promoted to govern the highly uncertain threats that risk appears no longer able to prevent. Most owe their ascendancy to the lessons of 9/11, and the ‘bureaucratising of imagination’ that US...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
2013-04-01
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| Series: | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
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| Online Access: | http://ssrn.com/abstract=2221288 |
| _version_ | 1818305467508588544 |
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| author | Pat O'Malley |
| author_facet | Pat O'Malley |
| author_sort | Pat O'Malley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Over the past decade or so, a series of new or revitalised strategies have been promoted to govern the highly uncertain threats that risk appears no longer able to prevent. Most owe their ascendancy to the lessons of 9/11, and the ‘bureaucratising of imagination’ that US sources have proposed as a response, by centring the possible, or even merely imaginable, rather than the statistically probable. Precaution, preparedness and speculative pre-emption have been particularly prominent, although new hybrid statistical and speculative techniques have broadened risk techniques to cope with labile conditions of high uncertainty. But while diverse, each establishes a negative and defensive framework of ‘freedom from’ that has been associated with creating a ’neurotic subject’. In the past decade, programs of resilience, and particularly resiliency training, have been developed with the aim of creating subjects able to thrive and prosper under conditions of extreme uncertainty. They constitute a form of governance promoting a positive ‘freedom to’. Reflecting many of the assumptions and goals of neo-liberal politics, resiliency has already emerged as a principal technology for military and business, and may be the answer to the neo-liberal dream of a society of extreme entrepreneurs.</p> <hr /><p>Durante la última década, se han promovido varias estrategias nuevas o renovadas destinadas a gestionar amenazas que el riesgo ya no parece capaz de prevenir. La mayoría deben su predominancia a las lecciones aprendidas tras el 11-S, y la “burocratización de la imaginación” que las fuentes estadounidenses han propuesto como respuesta, predominando lo posible, o incluso simplemente lo imaginable, por encima de lo estadísticamente probable. Han predominado la precaución, preparación y especulación preventivas, aunque las nuevas técnicas estadísticas y especulativas híbridas han ampliado las técnicas de riesgo para hacer frente a las condiciones inestables de alta incertidumbre. A pesar de que sean diferentes, cada una de ellas establece un marco negativo y defensivo de “libertad de” que se ha asociado con la creación de un “sujeto neurótico” En la última década se han desarrollado programas de resiliencia, y en especial de formación en resiliencia, con el objetivo de crear sujetos capaces de crecer y prosperar en condiciones de incertidumbre extrema. Constituyen una forma de gobierno que promueve una “libertad para” positiva. Como reflejo de muchas de las hipótesis y los objetivos de la política neoliberal, la resiliencia ya se ha constituido como una importante tecnología militar y empresarial, y puede ser la respuesta al sueño neo-liberal de una sociedad de emprendedores extremos. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:27:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4e8d6b861dc942ff86d49703096cd868 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-5971 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:27:03Z |
| publishDate | 2013-04-01 |
| publisher | Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| spelling | doaj.art-4e8d6b861dc942ff86d49703096cd8682022-12-21T23:56:43ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712013-04-0132180195179Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk SocietyPat O'Malley0University of Sydney<p>Over the past decade or so, a series of new or revitalised strategies have been promoted to govern the highly uncertain threats that risk appears no longer able to prevent. Most owe their ascendancy to the lessons of 9/11, and the ‘bureaucratising of imagination’ that US sources have proposed as a response, by centring the possible, or even merely imaginable, rather than the statistically probable. Precaution, preparedness and speculative pre-emption have been particularly prominent, although new hybrid statistical and speculative techniques have broadened risk techniques to cope with labile conditions of high uncertainty. But while diverse, each establishes a negative and defensive framework of ‘freedom from’ that has been associated with creating a ’neurotic subject’. In the past decade, programs of resilience, and particularly resiliency training, have been developed with the aim of creating subjects able to thrive and prosper under conditions of extreme uncertainty. They constitute a form of governance promoting a positive ‘freedom to’. Reflecting many of the assumptions and goals of neo-liberal politics, resiliency has already emerged as a principal technology for military and business, and may be the answer to the neo-liberal dream of a society of extreme entrepreneurs.</p> <hr /><p>Durante la última década, se han promovido varias estrategias nuevas o renovadas destinadas a gestionar amenazas que el riesgo ya no parece capaz de prevenir. La mayoría deben su predominancia a las lecciones aprendidas tras el 11-S, y la “burocratización de la imaginación” que las fuentes estadounidenses han propuesto como respuesta, predominando lo posible, o incluso simplemente lo imaginable, por encima de lo estadísticamente probable. Han predominado la precaución, preparación y especulación preventivas, aunque las nuevas técnicas estadísticas y especulativas híbridas han ampliado las técnicas de riesgo para hacer frente a las condiciones inestables de alta incertidumbre. A pesar de que sean diferentes, cada una de ellas establece un marco negativo y defensivo de “libertad de” que se ha asociado con la creación de un “sujeto neurótico” En la última década se han desarrollado programas de resiliencia, y en especial de formación en resiliencia, con el objetivo de crear sujetos capaces de crecer y prosperar en condiciones de incertidumbre extrema. Constituyen una forma de gobierno que promueve una “libertad para” positiva. Como reflejo de muchas de las hipótesis y los objetivos de la política neoliberal, la resiliencia ya se ha constituido como una importante tecnología militar y empresarial, y puede ser la respuesta al sueño neo-liberal de una sociedad de emprendedores extremos.http://ssrn.com/abstract=2221288RiskresiliencecatastrophegovernmentalityfreedomRiesgoresilienciacatástrofegubernamentalidadlibertad |
| spellingShingle | Pat O'Malley Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society Oñati Socio-Legal Series Risk resilience catastrophe governmentality freedom Riesgo resiliencia catástrofe gubernamentalidad libertad |
| title | Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society |
| title_full | Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society |
| title_fullStr | Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society |
| title_short | Uncertain Governance and Resilient Subjects in the Risk Society |
| title_sort | uncertain governance and resilient subjects in the risk society |
| topic | Risk resilience catastrophe governmentality freedom Riesgo resiliencia catástrofe gubernamentalidad libertad |
| url | http://ssrn.com/abstract=2221288 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT patomalley uncertaingovernanceandresilientsubjectsintherisksociety |