Michel Foucault and the Ontology of Politics: E Pluribus Unum?

The problem of ontology in the work of Michel Foucault is discussed. First, ontology is defined as the layer of a social theory, encompassing the essential building blocks of the social world presupposed by that social theory. Second, three different ontologies in Foucault's work are identified, which roughly correspond to the chronological phases of his theorizing: the ontology of discourse (1960s), the ontology of power (1970s), and the ontology of the self (1980s). While it is not easy to bring these different ontologies together, an attempt at ontological synthesis is made via the concepts of productivity of power and governmentality. A single "un-ontology" of aleatory power-politics is constructed as a result of that theoretical operation. Finally, some basic guidelines for political theorizing and research are drawn from that ontological world picture attributed to Foucault's theory.