ABSTRACT
This work examines the outlining of operational rationalities in the main police force in Lisbon between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Based on daily service orders and police statistics, the article investigates the conceptualization of police work as a conflict between a constructed ideal and concrete practices, thus revealing a self-reflexive institution. More than imposing order from above, the work concludes that the police engendered governmentality based on rationalized practices and in the development of a social expectation around police intervention.
Keywords:
Police; City; Governmentality; Lisbon