Transforming Subjectivities

This volume examines the transformation of subjectivities following contemporary societal trends with regulatory and administrative authorities targeting human subjectivity with the aim to transform it. It addresses the malleability of human subjectivity through rich qualitative analyses of how different governing attempts are received by the subjects themselves. While the scholarship on governmentality has so far produced an enormously useful body of literature on the 'how' aspect of governing, this book suggests that it has been prone to overestimate the degree to which our subjectivities are open to change. Combining ethnographic sensitivity with more traditional governmentality perspectives allows us to explore how governing attempts 'land' in the terrain targeted-human subjectivity-in actual social contexts, under specific forms of governing and rationality. In doing so, the book makes a distinctive contribution to a second generation of governmentality studies. It will appeal to social scientists with interests in governance, governmentality, social policy and the sociology of work. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Cecilia Hansen Löfstrand is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has published widely on social and health care, social policy and governance, policing, private security and crime victim support. Kerstin Jacobsson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has published widely on labour market policy and governance, as well as on civil society and social movements.

1. Introduction: Transforming Subjectivities 2. A Brighter Future? The Transformative Power of Models in Social Services 3. The Storying of Experience: Shaping Caseworker Subjectivity at Social Insurance Agencies 4. Swedish Police Reform and the Emergence of New Police Subjectivities 5. Negotiating Subjectivities in Social Work Dialogues 6. Subjectification, Advice Giving and Resistance in Mental Health Home Visit Interactions 7. Transforming Industrial Subjectivity? Scenes from a Youth Activation Centre 8. The Problematizing and Counter-Conducting Subjects of Financial Education 9. State-sanctioned Educational Initiatives Aimed at transforming Adult Immigrants: Interpretation, Negotiation and Resistance 10. Conclusion