Global Subjects: A Political Critique of Globalization

“This brilliant book by one of France’s most eminent social theorists is the first major work on globalization and the state to bring history, culture and the analysis of power into a single and vivid method. Filled with delicious insights into subjectivity, the senses, crime, fashion and marketing, Bayart offers a trenchant and original argument about the dynamics of a world which combines emergence and emergency. This is historical sociology at its literate best, a must-read for scholars in any field who seek to understand globalization without any preconceptions.”

-- Arjun Appardurai, The New School, New York City

“Bayart’s special way of mixing vivid examples from all over the globe with daring theoretical interpretations breathes new life into the concepts of globalization, governmentality and subjectivation. Irony and perspicacity combine beautifully in this book. With great panache he shows that our everyday practices are part and parcel of an emerging global governmentality. We may feel that globalization is something that happens to us but in many respects we are deeply involved in its making. The message is clear: globalization is us.”

-- Peter Geschiere, University of Amsterdam