Foucault and the Genealogy of Modern State

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to present the general lines of Foucault's “genealogy of the modern State”, giving special attention to two moments of his investigative trajectory. In the first moment, between 1972 and 1976, the state is the emblematic institution where the sovereign power is exercised. In 1978, the State is approached from another perspective, being defined as a “government practice”. At the end of the text, we briefly inquire about the limitations and possibilities opened by this genealogy, noting that it is not a question of relegating the State to abandonment, but of showing that it is resized by the genealogy of power.