Panopticism
Institutions and Institutional power
- Understand the principles of the Panoptican
- Understand Michel Foucaults concept of 'disciplinary society'
- Consider idea that disciplinary society is a way of making individuals 'productive' and 'useful'.
Michel Foucault (1926-1984
- Madness and civilisation
- discipline and punish: the birth of the prison
> THE GREAT CONFINEMENT (late 1600's)
> 'Houses of correction' to curb unemployment and idleness. Deemed criminals, social unpredictable. People among them; drunks, single mothers, the ill. They were physically beaten if they did not work.
> Moral reform. Trying to make these people better.
> Eventually realised that these 'houses of correction' were a massive mistake. the insane would corrupt the same. Similar with the criminals versus non-criminals.
> Decided to have specialist institution.
> In the asylum, if they behaved the way they were meant to, they would gain rewards and if they behave badly they would be frowned upon.
> Went from a voilent control of social order to a more sociably acceptable way.
> About training the way the mind works within social behaviour.
- The emergence of forms of knowledge- biology psychiatry, medicine. etc. legitimise the practices of hospitals and doctors.
- Aims to show how these forms of knowledge and rationalising institutions like the prison, the asylum and school.
The pillory- a physical and voilent punishment.
Disciplinary society and Disciplinary power
- New mode of disciplinary power > deals with mental rather than physical.
- Aim is to control, feelings, behaviour but ultimately to improve capacity and performance.
- Jeremy Bentham's design the panoptican proposed in 1791.
Panopticon, Cuba
- Could be for a prison, school, hospital or asylum.
- Bentham desinged this building to function perfectly.
- Inmate constantly staring to the centre of the building, at the guard tower. Cannot see each other, just the supervisors.
- Has a strange of effect > opposite to the dungeon. In Panopitcon everything is light and open.
- Constantly being reminded that your behaviour is being watched, therefore more likely to conform to the expected norms as fear of being caught out.
'The Panopitcon internalises in the individual conscious state that he is always being watched.' (Foucault, 1975)
- Eventually there is no need for the presence of guards as people have made the link with their mind and how they should control their behaviour.
- Allows scrutiny
- allows supervisor to experiment on subjects
- aims to make them productive
- Reforms prisoners
- Helps treat patients
- Helps instruct schoolchildren
- Helps confine, but also study the insane
- Helps supervise workers
- Helps put beggars and idlers to work
New modern form of power; the panopticism
- For it to work, needs to be reminded that you are under scrutiny and always visible.
- Modern day example > open planned offices. Meant to encourage being social and sharing however sort of does opposite as always feel as though being watched by the someone higher up.
- Open planned bar > everything is on display for bouncers to see. It manipulates peoples everyday behaviour.
Pentonville Prison
*The relationship between power, knowledge and the body
'Power relations have an immediate hold upon it (the body): they invest in it, mark it, train it, torture it, force it to carry out tasks to perform ceremonies, to emit signs...'
Disciplinary society produces what Foucault calls 'Docile bodies'
- Self monitoring
- Self correcting
- Obedient bodies
Disciplinary techniques > gentle punishment.
Foucault and power
- His definition is not a top-down model as with Marxism
- Power is not a thing or a capacity people have- it is a relation between different individuals and groups, and only exists when it is being exercised.
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