Understanding Disciplinary Power
- Greek word Combo! Pantos - "all", & Optikos - "to see" = all seeing
- Illustrated the move from torture towards discipline in the penal system
- Asymmetric power relation
- Solved the problems of:
- Surveillance gaps/ "Blank Spaces"
- Disciplinary/surveillance continuity
- Continuously being watched, never certain when or by whom...
- Begin to discipline self
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- Foucault: Disciplinary Power is NOT intentionally evil!
- Positive Elements:
- Corrective through discipline, not meant to be repressive
- Seeks to understand through accumulation of knowledge
- Problem individual + observation + expert knowledge = defined problem and treatment
- Seeks to produce "Expert Knowledge"
- defines types of individuals: ie. "Criminally Insane"
Discipline cannot be everywhere at once - we are more free than we think
Foucauldian theory redefines the concept of knowledge. No objective understanding, only the production of expert knowledge.
Bentham and Foucault
WHERE WE ARE GOING:
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
- philosopher and social reformist
- Associated with Utilitarianism
- Created the Panopticon as positive penal reform
Michel Foucault (1920-1984)
- Interested in: Truth, Knowledge, and Power
- Panopticon as illustrative of how power is exercised
- Before the panopticon - "The Plague Town"
3 Components Needed for Panoptic Structure
Means of Correct Training
1. Hierarchical Observation
- The "Gaze" is watching the docile bodies and subjects them to constant yet uncertain surveillance.
- Often associated with the "Medical Gaze"
- Few observing the many (Hierarchical Power)
2. Normalizing Judgement
- Punishment when there is failure to live up to the normalized standard
- Your behavior must be "normal"
3. Examination
- Combines the observation and judgement components
- Examples: Medical examination, final exams, probation, Santa Clause
1. Bentham & Foucault
2. The Panopticon
3. Understanding Disciplinary Power
4. The Three Required 3 Components of a Panoptic Structure
Misunderstandings
Thank You. Any Questions?
- Must have 3 components!!!
- Illustrative of more than just disciplinary power.
Panoptic - surveillance of the many by the few
Synoptic - is the surveillance of the few by the many.
Understanding Foucault's Panopticon