This book investigates the intersection of biometric technologies, the human body, and the exercise of state power through the lens of biopolitics. Joseph Pugliese, a professor of cultural studies, draws upon critical theory and surveillance studies to examine how biometric systems—such as facial recognition, DNA profiling, and gait analysis—reconfigure the relationship between the individual and the state. He argues that these technologies do not merely identify individuals but actively construct and categorize bodies, often reinforcing existing racial, gendered, and colonial hierarchies.

Scholars in the fields of surveillance studies and digital humanities frequently cite this work for its rigorous interrogation of the sociopolitical implications of identification technologies. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of critical theory to fully grasp the author's complex arguments.