Postscript as Preface: Theorizing Control After Deleuze

Gilles Deleuze’s “Postscript on Control Societies” functions as an index of epochal change. It opens with an invocation of the past, situating Foucault’s theory of disciplinary power in the nineteenth century, and has been read as theorization of the present, of the shifts in power in the late twentieth century. What, however, of its legacy? Or its future? It seems that now, close to thirty years after its publication, it is possible to ask two series of questions of this notion of control. First, where are we with control now

University Experience: Neoliberalism against the Commons

Chapter from Toward a Global Autonomous University: Cognitive Labor, The Production of Knowledge and Exodus from the Education Factory by the Edu-Factory Collective.https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/facbooks/1304/thumbnail.jp

A Genealogy of Homo-Economicus: Neoliberalism and the Production of Subjectivity

This article examines Michel Foucault’s critical investigation of neoliberalism in the course published as Naissance de la biopolitique: Cours au Collège de France, 1978-1979. Foucault’s lectures are interrogated along two axes. First, examining the way in which neoliberalism can be viewed as a particular production of subjectivity, as a way in which individuals are constituted as subjects of “human capital.” Secondly, Foucault’s analyses is augmented and critically examined in light of other critical work on neoliberalism by Wendy Brown, David Harvey, Christian Laval, Maurizo Lazzarato, and Antonio Negri. Of these various debates and discussions, the paper argues that the discussion of real subsumption in Marx and Negri is most important for understanding the specific politics of neoliberalism. Finally, the paper argues that neoliberalism entails a fundamental reexamination of the tools of critical thought, an examination of how freedom can constitute a form of subjection

On the chromatic roots of generalized theta graphs

The generalized theta graph \Theta_{s_1,...,s_k} consists of a pair of endvertices joined by k internally disjoint paths of lengths s_1,...,s_k \ge 1. We prove that the roots of the chromatic polynomial $pi(\Theta_{s_1,...,s_k},z) of a k-ary generalized theta graph all lie in the disc |z-1| \le [1 + o(1)] k/\log k, uniformly in the path lengths s_i. Moreover, we prove that \Theta_{2,...,2} \simeq K_{2,k} indeed has a chromatic root of modulus [1 + o(1)] k/\log k. Finally, for k \le 8 we prove that the generalized theta graph with a chromatic root that maximizes |z-1| is the one with all path lengths equal to 2; we conjecture that this holds for all k.Comment: LaTex2e, 25 pages including 2 figure

Acute effect of repeated sprints on inter-limb asymmetries during unilateral jumping

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of multiple repeated sprints on unilateral jump performance and inter-limb asymmetries. Eighteen recreationally active males performed three single leg countermovement jumps (SLCMJ) as baseline data. The repeated sprint protocol was 6 x 40 m with 20 seconds of passive rest between each sprint. This protocol was conducted four times, each set separated by four minutes of rest. Within that rest period, subjects performed one SLCMJ on each limb after two minutes of rest. A one-way ANOVA showed significant reductions (p < 0.05; ES = -0.52 to -0.99) in jump height on both limbs after each set relative to baseline. Inter-limb asymmetries increased at each time point and ranged from 7.62-14.67%, with significant increases in asymmetry seen after sets three (p = 0.046) and four (p = 0.002). Significant increases in sprint time were shown between sprints one and six in each set (p ≤ 0.01). A fatigue index (%) was also calculated and showed an exponential increase from 5.74% (set one) to 13.50% (set four), with significant differences between all sets (p < 0.001) with the exception of sets three and four. Results from this study show that a 6 x 40 m repeated sprint protocol is a sufficient dose for implementing acute fatigue in recreationally active subjects. This was manifested by reductions in jump height at all time points and jump height asymmetries after the third and fourth sets. These findings indicate that jump height from unilateral jump testing may be a useful metric to use during the monitoring process in recreationally trained athletes

Jumping-based asymmetries are negatively associated with jump, change of direction, and repeated sprint performance, but not linear speed, in adolescent handball athletes

The aim of the present study was to determine the association of multi-directional jumping asymmetries with measures of physical performance. Forty-two youth handball athletes (age: 16.0 ± 1.3 years; body height: 174.11 ± 7.3 cm; body mass: 70.49 ± 13.3 kg) performed a mid-season fitness test battery consisting of single leg countermovement, lateral and broad jump tests, two change of direction speed (CODS) tests, an 8 x 10 m repeated sprint test, and a 20 m sprint. The Kappa coefficient showed only ‘slight’ levels of agreement (K range = -0.05 to 0.15), indicating that asymmetries rarely favoured the same side during each of the jump tests. The single leg countermovement jump showed significantly (p = 0.006) larger asymmetries (11.2 ± 8.4) than the broad jump (6.4 ± 4.6) and significant correlations were present between jumping asymmetries and jump (r = -0.32 to -0.52), CODS (r = 0.31 to 0.32) and repeated sprint (r = 0.35 to 0.40) performance. The findings of the present study highlight the independent nature of jumping asymmetries and associations with measures of physical performance. Practitioners are encouraged to use multiple tests to detect existing side differences and consider appropriate training interventions for the reduction of inter-limb asymmetries