General Police System

Political Economy and Security in the Age of Enlightenment

Edited by Joshua Johnson, John McMullan, Gulden Ozcan, George S. Rigakos

While contemporary inquiries into theoretical linkages between political economy and security are rare, the exploration of these connections formed the cornerstone of political, social and economic philosophy during the upheavals of post-feudal Europe. “A General Police System”, a term borrowed from the late eighteenth century thinker Patrick Colquhoun, examines the overlapping genealogies of commerce, security, surveillance and the problem of poverty in the works of foundational English… (more information)