What does 'biopower' mean?

• A. The state's use of institutions to regulate populations' health and bodies
• B. Individual autonomy in medical decision-making
• C. Biomedical technology's role in therapy
• D. Medicalization as a concept

Answer: (A)

Biopower is about how modern states regulate life at the population level through institutions, policies, and norms that shape health, bodies, reproduction, and daily conduct. It’s not focused on a person’s medical decisions alone or on technology in therapy; it’s the way systems like public health programs, hospitals, schools, and surveillance practices govern life processes across a group. So the statement that describes the state’s use of institutions to regulate populations’ health and bodies captures this idea, showing power embedded in infrastructure and governance that mold collective health and behavior. Medicalization and biomedical technology are related concerns, but biopower specifically emphasizes the population-wide governance enacted through institutions and norms.