How Rose uses the Genealogical Approach
Uploaded by CaseyP on Aug 24, 2017
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How Rose uses the Genealogical Approach
Genealogy usually looks at the transformation of the historical events associated with a certain concept and the knowledge and philosophical assumptions that have been incorporated. Hence, it compares the past and the present while seeking the rationality that people should adopt in analyzing certain issues such as the sexuality and democracy. Governing “Advanced” Liberal Democracies by Nikolas Rose analyzes how liberalism has changed over the years and its benefits to the electorates. This essay will reveal how Rose uses genealogy in showing the history of the liberal rule, showing the relationships between knowledge, politics and the human subjects as well as the power dynamics in the society.
Rose (1996) relies on genealogy to discuss the limits of power in politics and how the society can make the changes in making the relations more productive. In particular, the insights reveal how power has been associated with authority and politics. For instance, the political institutions believe that they are the ones that retain the responsibility of determining various tasks that should be undertaken in the society (Dean, 2002). However, they have ignored the non-political bodies that also have the ability to identify how certain activities should be done. In this case, Rose (1996) uses genealogy in discussing the limits that have confined the society into believing that they are powerless. The reading also highlights that the political forces and the technical procedures do not retain the capacity to control the electorates. Instead, they also have the liberal or democratic duty of seeking what will benefit them in the long-run.
Furthermore, Rose (1996) uses genealogy in looking at the conventional history of the liberal rule and how it relates to reason and rationality. In the process, Rose (1996) is able to highlight the three prepositions that reveal how the liberal rule has transformed over the years. For instance, he shows how the nineteen century had liberalism that focused on the philosophical assumptions that evaluated how people lived or even engaged in various economic activities. The analysis also shifts to the twentieth century where the political powers enhanced their expertise and expanded their authority over various institutions in the society (Rose, 1996). Lastly, he even talks about the advanced liberal rule shifting to the morals and treating the electorates with the equity needed (Rose, 1996). More importantly, genealogy is used in capturing the history while illustrating the reason that is incorporated...