New Books Network Daniel Wyche, "The Care of the Self and the Care of the Other: From Spiritual Exercises to Political Transformation" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Jan 17, 2026
Daniel Wyche, a Senior Scholar at the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought, dives into ethical self-transformation in his latest work. He explores Michel Foucault’s idea of 'care of the self' and how personal self-work intertwines with political action. Wyche draws connections between self-purification, activism, and community organization, emphasizing diverse conceptions of the self. He also discusses the implications of technology and the wisdom found in tradition, making a compelling case for the interconnectedness of personal and political realms.
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Self-Work Is Intrinsically Political
- Practices of ethical self-change always negotiate relations between the individual and historical-material conditions.
- Daniel Wyche argues these self-practices are inherently political because they implicate and are shaped by power and material relations.
Working-Class Roots Shaped His Lens
- Wyche recounts growing up in a working-class, unionized family that mixed Catholic social teaching and labor organizing.
- That background plus punk music shaped his sense that personal ethics and political struggle intertwine in practical ways.
Don't Conflate Ethics With Systemic Change
- Wyche warns against moralism that treats individual conduct as a substitute for systemic change.
- He insists material organization and collective action are needed beyond ethical personal behavior to scale political change.
