ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the ideas and perspectives of Foucauldian governmentality studies can be translated to the specific field of ethnographic policing research. We outline three aspects in which governmentality studies might aid in extending the scope of research on policing, by 1) extending the focus beyond a preoccupation with police culture, 2) extending the focus on policing as reaching beyond law enforcement and 3) extending the critical potential in policing research. We are not the first to point out that policing research could be extended in these directions, but it is our argument that the insights of governmentality studies can be particularly helpful for doing this. Finally, we consider some challenges in combining the analytical insights of governmentality studies with the methods of ethnographic policing research.
