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Published on: July 27, 2018
Subject in the Making: Technologies of the Self and Aspirations for a Good Life in Contemporary Denmark
Margit Anne Petersen1, Aja Smith2, Dorthe Brogaard Kristensen3
1Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract:
Coping with crisis is fundamental for human life, but so is the pursuit of everything good and fruitful. We revisit Foucault's technologies of the self as an analytical lens for what people do when pursuing a good life in contemporary Denmark. Comparing three emerging self-improvement domains; psychedelic micro-dosing, meditation and mindfulness, and fitness self-tracking, we explore processes though which individuals become subjects of their own actions. We argue that engaging in these transformational practices produces and reflects different notions of self, yet all involve attempts at managing vulnerabilities by accepting, controlling and balancing tensions between self-making and relation-making.
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