The Birth of Francoist Bio-Politics. The invention of «homo patiens»

Abstract

Adopting Foucault’s concept of «government» as «conduct of conduct» and through a carefully formed study of the «bio-political devices» used throughout Franco’s regime in its first ten years —from 1939 to 1951—, we aim here to demonstrate the rise of a type of subjectivity characteristic of the Spanish post-war period: that of, «homo patiens». In order to do this, firstly, we will draw a brief but necessary methodological plan in order to explain the significance of certain fundamental terms in this study. Subsequently, we will outline a brief analysis of the most important «bio-political devices» employed in the Francoist early period. Finally, we will attempt to define, in light of what is previously noted, the idiosyncrasies of the aforementioned type of subjectivity: that of «homo patiens».