From Biopolitics to Psychopolitics in Byung-Chul Han’s social thought

Abstract

In this article I analyse the concept of psycho-politics in Byung-Chul Han’s thought. I try to show how he transforms the bio-political comprehension of society (that has been developed by Foucault, Esposito and Agamben) into a new comprehensive framework that includes the influence of new technologies and new social and labour structures in the individuals. Whereas in the modern era the biopolitics emerged in the social body as an immunological practice (in which the control was set from outside), Han points out that actually the individuals impose on themselves a new control from the inside in order to be more effective (psycho-politics). I also analyse how does this notion of psycho-politics relate with his treatment of power.