The "Pastoral" Power of the State

"The mosaic of elements organised by the author rescues one of the most important juridical-political dimensions of our past and, in this way, helps to shed light on the meaning of the present. It is an original work, which explores with acuity an at first sight limited aspect of our social existence, apparently circumscribed in an easily definable sector; in reality, however, the book focuses on a piece situated at the centre of the political and governmental machine of our societies, whose status and function has until now been underestimated by both legal theorists and political philosophers. This book rescues us from this neglect; it fills an important gap both in the field of law and the other applied social sciences, as well as in the philosophy of our time." Oswaldo Giacoia Junior (Department of Philosophy, IFCH - Unicamp).