© 2007 The Author Journal Compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Sociology Compass 1/1 (2007): 111–126, 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00011.x Blackwell Publishing Ltd Oxford, UK SOCO Sociology Compass 0000-0000 © 2007 The Author Journal Compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 011 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00011.x June 2007 0 111??? 126??? Original Articles Governmentality and Lifestyle Studies Governmentality and Lifestyle Studies Governmentality and Lifestyle Studies Sam Binkley* Emerson College Abstract In recent years, a research focus on lifestyles has drawn considerable attention from many quarters. Within this area, the influence of several European and continental intellectual currents not widely embraced in American sociology can be detected, some traceable to the work of Michel Foucault. This article will provide a summary and overview of one area of lifestyle sociology that is touched by Foucault’s broad influence on the social sciences, particularly his theories on governmentality. Governmentality studies consider the manner in which personal autonomy and self-responsibility is conveyed to individuals as an ongoing life- project. Through the lens of governmentality studies, everyday lifestyle choices of individuals are viewed as elements of larger projects of self-development, imple- mented by therapeutic discourses of risk management, self-realization, and enhanced personal well-being. After a summary of debates within the sociology of lifestyle informed by governmentality theories, commentary and recommen- dations will be offered on new directions in governmentality research focusing on subjective well-being or ‘happiness’ as a feature of contemporary lifestyles and as an object of sociological research. A brief survey of new research comprising the interdisciplinary field of ‘happiness studies’ suggests a new direction not only for lifestyle research, but for governmentality studies as well. 1. Introduction In what follows, an effort will be made to reconcile two approaches to the study of contemporary styles of life, one emerging from within a sociological tradition, another relatively foreign to it. Both of these approaches are concerned with the way people live today – their everyday practices – and the way such practices help them shape a lasting sense of themselves, or a personal identity. The first is a sociological concern with lifestyles, understood as those patterns of unconstrained daily choice indi- viduals make in leisure, shopping, recreation, and so on. The second is an emerging interest in ‘governmentality’, or the specific ways in which the lives of modern individuals are shaped by specific purposes and tasks assigned to them by authorities of various kinds. It is my argument that these approaches, while different in important ways, can be taken as complimentary when applied to certain research areas.