'The birth of bio-politics': Michel Foucault's lecture at the College de France on neo-liberal governmentality

This paper f(o)cuses on Foucault's analysis of two forms of neo-liberalism in his lecture of 1979 at the College de France: German post-War liberalism and the liberalism of the Chicago School. Since the course is available only on audio-tapes at the Foucault archive in Paris, the larger part of the text presents a comprehensive reconstruction of the main line of argumentation, citing previously un published and theoretical principles underlying the concept of governmentality and the critical political angle it provides for an analysis of contemporary neo-liberalism.