Selbstbestimmung oder sozialer Optimierungsdruck? Perspektiven einer kritischen Soziologie der Biopolitik

摘要

Biopolitics, understood as the area of social conflict over how to deal with human life, the human body and human nature, hitherto is predominantly shaped by bioethics while the social sciences usually are deemed to be of minor importance. Contrasting with the programme of “sociological enlightenment on biopolitics” recently proposed by Wolfgang van den Daele, the article seeks to outline vital research questions and perspectives of a critical sociology of biopolitics which focuses on the analysis and reflection of the dominant problem framings established within bioethical and biopolitical discourse. These more general conceptual considerations are empirically illustrated using the example of the medicalisation of shyness, i.e. its transformation into a supposedly widespread mental disorder. As a conclusion, the concept of “reflexive autonomy” within biopolitics is suggested in order to avoid the shortcomings of both essentialist and empiristically narrowed notions of self-determination.