Politik som assemblage

Hur sammansättningsbegreppet kan berika maktkritisk analys

Abstract

Politics as assemblage: How assemblage thinking can enrich power-critical analysis

During the last decade, the concept of assemblage has become increasingly popular in the social sciences. Originating in the philosophical works of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, the concept aims to describe the world as a collection of unstable wholes – consisting of discourses, practices and material elements – that lack a universal organizing principle. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of assemblage in a Swedish political science context and to demonstrate its analytical potential. To fulfil this purpose, the historical background of the concept is described, as well as how it is translated into analytical strategies in current social science research. The article argues that the concept is fruitful for studying the work of stabilization that is required to put together policies, projects and reforms in concrete contexts. To illustrate the concept’s analytical potential, the construction and reorganization of the university hospital “nya Karolinska” in accordance with the model of “value-based healthcare” is used as an empirical example. It is argued that the implementation of the model was dependent on various practices of stabilization, such as translation practices of consultants, inscription in physical objects and organizational structures, and knowledge production. The article concludes with a discussion of the possibilities that the concept of assemblage offers to the development of power-critical analysis in political science. Here, it is emphasized that the concept can be used to capture the complexity of contemporary systems of governing and organization, as well as the power relations that are stabilized and destabilized as these systems are assembled.