Foucault, Ecuador and On Being ‘Freer Than They Feel’

Abstract

I asked at the beginning of this volume whether the legal mechanisms associated with economic globalization were too deeply entrenched to be the subject of critical revision and resistance.¹ Are they irresistible or, alternatively, is it possible to generate practices that enable us to adjust, even diminish, transnational legality’s forms of domination? If the material conditions under which those marginalized by globalization’s processes were determinative, resistance would be more widespread than it is at present. One of the stumbling blocks undoubtedly is the difficulty of channelling this contention into an effective politics of resistance. Understanding that alternative possibilities exist runs up against a powerful network of actors and institutions — operating in the realms of politics, economic and culture and at various levels — touting globalization’s benefits, insisting that global well-being has improved and that, if they only wait their turn, redemption is just around the corner. In the meanwhile, political solutions to pressing social questions facing marginalized citizens effectively are ruled out of bounds.