Maddening states

Despite transformations in the character of the state in an age of globalization, news of its demise is certainly exaggerated. Even as operations of state (or state-like) power exceed the boundaries of the nation-state to be deployed by actors such as transnational nongovernmental organizations, private corporations, guerrilla groups, or narcotraffickers, the state form shows remarkable tenacity and adaptability. Invested with a kind of meta-capital, the state remains a crucial presence, a screen for political desires and identifications as well as fears. This review addresses recent academic reflection on the field of knowledge we call the state. It asks how the state becomes a social subject in everyday life, examining the subjective experience of state power and tracing its effects on territories, populations, and bodies. Finally, it considers the ways violence, sexuality, and desire work in the intimate spaces of state power.