A BRIEF GENEALOGY OF STATE SECRECY

Abstract

This article provides a potential explanation to the following question: With over five million government employees and contractors entrusted with state secrets in both Canada and the United States, how could the fact that the vast majority of keepers of state secrets obey the letter of the law be explained? The deterrent effect of the law alone cannot account for this state of affairs. The reason is that subjects self-regulate (psychologically and sociologically speaking) and behave according to contingent forms of rationalities. These forms of rationalities include changing discourses on secrecy and law, and a variety of disciplinary techniques centered on surveillance, hierarchical observation and examination.