Necropolitics: The Politics of Death

The concept of necropolitics explores how political power is used to determine who is allowed to live and who can be made to die. It examines the systemic exposure of certain populations to violence, abandonment, or neglect, treating their deaths as anticipated and normalized.

Concept Origin and Theoretical Background

• Achille Mbembe coined the term necropolitics, building on Michel Foucault’s notion of biopolitics.
• Biopolitics vs. Necropolitics
  • Biopolitics manages life and populations, focused on preservation.
  • Necropolitics shifts focus to the power over death, emphasizing who is deemed expendable.

Historical and Contemporary Examples

• Colonial Legacy: The Bengal famine of 1943 is cited as an example where colonial policies valued imperial interests over Indian lives.
• HIV/AIDS Crisis: Queer necropolitics highlighted, where certain queer lives, especially those marginalized by race or class, were abandoned by healthcare systems.

Operational Mechanisms

• State terror employs surveillance and violence to suppress dissent.
• Collaboration between states and non-state actors blurs lines of violence.
• Enmity serves as a governing principle, justifying the right to kill.
• War and terror fuel global surveillance and arms economies.
• Systematic displacement occurs through resource extraction.
• Death is administered in various forms, like torture and drone strikes.

State of Exception and Living Dead

• State of Exception: A condition where law suspends itself, often becoming permanent for certain populations.
• Living Dead: Individuals forced to live in degraded conditions, exemplified by India’s COVID-19 lockdown affecting migrant workers.

Case Study: Gaza

• Gaza is highlighted as a death world, where populations face systemic neglect and violence, a stark illustration of necropolitics post the Hamas attack in 2023.

Broader Implications and Resistance

• Necropolitics is not confined to war zones but extends to systemic issues like poverty and racism.
• Resistance should aim not just for survival but for lives that are recognized and valued.

This summary encapsulates the essence of necropolitics, illustrating its historical roots, operational mechanisms, and global implications, thus broadening the understanding of how political systems manage life and death.