Call for Papers: Postcolonial Governmentality Workshop

25-26 September 2014, University of Bristol

Postcolonial Governmentality: Theory, Sites and Practices

This workshop was inspired by the need for further collaboration between
academics to understand how both governmentality and postcolonial
approaches are key to understanding contemporary governance.

Drawing on Michel Foucaults writings, governmentality offers a conceptual
framework to analyse how contemporary governance functions not solely
through states but through multiple tactics and means that regulate the
conduct of individuals and institutions by setting up standards of behaviour
according to neoliberal rationalities. A postcolonial approach to
governmentality exposes the (post)colonial logics that reproduce
neoliberalism, the role of postcolonial sites and practices in shaping neoliberal
governance, and the inequalities embedded within it insofar as its standards
of conduct determine which subjects are privileged and excluded. In
particular, postcolonial perspectives show how neoliberal governance can be
both productive and repressive, functioning to impose a fixed code of conduct
and to objectify (gendered, racialized, sexualized) others as part of its
project of improvement.

The theme 'Postcolonial Governmentality: Theory, Sites and Practices'
examines how the concept of governmentality adds to our understanding of
postcolonialism. In turn, it will look at how governmentality in postcolonial sites
contributes to our understanding of global governance. This workshop invites
papers from academics and doctoral students whose research illustrates how
postcolonial approaches and sites are valuable to understanding the practices
of global governance. Papers should take a context-driven approach that
considers how various practices function as technologies of neoliberal
governance, based on articulations within global and local interpretations. Of
particular interest are subjects, practices and relations of inclusion and
exclusion that are secured through the workings of postcolonial
governmentality, which may include but are not restricted to those found in
tourism, the media, government and social movements.

This workshop, which includes panel presentations and discussions, will bring
together academics and doctoral students working with postcolonial
governmentality approaches to further unravel its conceptual value and
understand how it operates across various contexts. We intend to publish an
edited volume/special issue of selected papers from the workshop.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Vivienne Jabri (Kings College
London) and the workshop will conclude with a roundtable, with panelists that
include Robbie Shilliam (QMUL), Carl Death (University of Manchester) and
Paul Bowman (Cardiff University).

Please apply by 20
th
July with abstracts of no more than 200 words and a
short biography. Full papers will need to be submitted
by 10
th
September. These should be emailed to Terri-Anne Teo and Elisa
Wynne-Hughes at terri-anne.teo@bristol.ac.uk and Wynne-
HughesE@cardiff.ac.uk.