Chronicles of Totalitarianism - 3: The Perverse Prelude on the Body
- Ariane Bilheran
- Aug 1, 2021
- 8 min read
Bilheran, A. "Chronicles of Totalitarianism 3: the perverse prelude on the body, in Antipresse 296, August 1, 2021.
"The proper object of biopolitics is 'bare life' (zôè), which among the Greeks designated 'the simple fact of living', common to all living beings (animals, men or gods), distinct from 'qualified life' (bios) which indicated "the form or way of living specific to an individual or a group".
Giorgio Agamben[1].
It is this very pretension to govern this bare life that has clearly emerged since the first quarter of 2020: restrictions on movement to the point of immobilization (lockdowns, isolation), the distance imposed between bodies ("social distancing"), the reduction of faces to the scopic impulse (the sole gaze), constrained breathing, etc. From now on, the compulsory injection is the essential initiation of the new "social contract" drawn up to the rhythm of frenetic nights at the National Assembly in France. Social, economic, and political life, access to healthcare, education, and leisure—in other words, "civilization"—will soon be authorized only to the initiated: those who have received the body markings required by the authorities.
Want to read more?
Subscribe to arianebilheran.com to keep reading this exclusive post.
