Leprosy and exile: the biopolitics of the Hawaiian monarchy in the 19th century
This article intends to analyze, from a Foucaultian perspective, how biopolitics was consolidated in Hawaii in the 19th century through Western influence. To do this, we look at the Act to prevent the Spread of Leprosy (1865) and its political and social consequences as an object of analysis. First,...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Portuguese |
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Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Revista Maracanan |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/index.php/maracanan/article/view/33671 |
| Summary: | This article intends to analyze, from a Foucaultian perspective, how biopolitics was consolidated in Hawaii in the 19th century through Western influence. To do this, we look at the Act to prevent the Spread of Leprosy (1865) and its political and social consequences as an object of analysis. First, we briefly contextualize the political and social scenario of 19th century Hawaii, a subject not much discussed in Brazilian historiography. Then we differentiate the concepts of sovereign power and biopower in order to indicate how the criminalization of Hansen’s disease (“leprosy”) by King Kamehameha V relates to Michel Foucault's biopower theory. The Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy profoundly affected the lives of the native Hawaiian population and proved to be part of the American and European influence that would undermine the country's own autonomy. |
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| ISSN: | 1807-989X 2359-0092 |