Marx in Foucault: production of bodies, production of life and contestation of humanism

This paper aims to highlight the concurrent and often tacit presence of Karl Marx's thinking in Foucault's analysis of power. This presence can be verified by examining the place that both authors assign to certain key conceptualizations, with the notion of "production" standing out prominently. The assumptions and implications embedded in this notion allow us to delineate a common ground within which Marxist and Foucauldian inquiries unfold regarding the socio-economic dynamics involving bodies and life. However, the concept of "production", linked to labor and human realization in Marx's case, and to the constitution of subjects in Foucault's case, also indicates a boundary of incompatibility between these perspectives, a limit associated with the debates between humanism and anti-humanism. It is hoped that the review of these interconnections and tensions will serve as a contribution to the reflections involved in the exercise of critical thinking.