the author(s) 2020 ISSN 1473-2866 (Online) www.ephemerajournal.org volume 20(4)
Power and management according to Agamben: Some implications of Agamben’s thoughts to management scholarship Enrico Beltramini
abstract This review discusses some of the most prominent contributions of Giorgio Agamben to philosophy and political theories that are relevant to management scholars. By addressing Agamben’s theological genealogy of economy and government included in The Kingdom and the Glory, I introduce management scholars to innovative significations and understandings of power and management, including the notion that power is a form of management. I also offer some reflections on the ramifications for management scholarship of Agamben’s engagement with management as a praxis.
Introduction It is the scholarly instinct in general, and the American predilection in particular, to equalize management with exercise of power. This intuitive understanding of management, Italian philosopher and political theorist Giorgio Agamben argues, reflects a distinct relationship between political theory and management. However, Agamben claims that economy, not politics, is the key to this connection between power and management. With the term ‘economy’ Agamben explores a variety of meanings, including the Greek oikonomia, that is, household management. This shift from politics to article| 195