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Foucault’s “panopticism” essay
Electronic surveillance and privacy
Foucault’s “panopticism” essay
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Foucault wished to have his work be a tool that users could take and apply to what they need it. In the example of Foucault’s analysis of the idea of the panopticon, originally put forward by Bentham, there has been some success of it being used in the area of modern surveillance, but more likely it has not been used in the way that Foucault has described it in his work. Beginning with an overview of how Foucault describes the panopticon and the ways in which power relations are formed in that environment, how the relationship between the seen and the seeing creates an environment that can shape behaviour. I will then move on to how modern surveillance has used those principles to create desired effects. Within modern surveillance systems the …show more content…
Moving from a system of physical control and regulation of an individuals movement through time a space, to the supervision of a persons actions resulting in individuals self regulating. In the idealized utopian form of this method of control is illustrated through the panopticon, a prison proposed by Bentham where cells are arranged around a central watchtower, with each cell and its contents visible to the guards in the tower every action is under constant supervision (Boyne, 2000). While the original idea put forward by Bentham was a design for a prison, Foucault extended it to other contexts where the separation and supervision of individuals would be advantageous such as the hospital, school, and factory (Foucault, 1977; Wood, 2007) Where the panopticon is able to extend power is that the individuals in the cells are unable to see the guards in the watchtower; they can never know if in fact they are being watched at any given moment and therefore must assume that they are always being watched. Power is constantly being exercised over those within the cells and transitions from being physical and exerted by the guards to the individuals becoming self-governing and controlling their own actions as at anytime they could get caught (Deleuze, 1992; Hannah 1997). In the creation of this system the number of people needed to watch the individuals subject to surveillance is reduced to a very small number as “…surveillance is permanent in its effects, even if it is discontinuous in its action…” (Foucault 1977 p.201). It is through the tension of being seen without ever being able to see that the power relation is formed; one group is closely supervised, every action is or may be seen, and those who are doing the watching are invisible to those who they watch. This new type of surveillance transitions from the previous methods
However, there are other critiques that take a different approach on the oppression that exists in the novel. In "Urban Panopticism And Heterotopic Space In Kafka 's Der Process And Orwell 's Nineteen Eighty-Four,” Raj Shah argues that the way in which society in novel is oppressed is not an obvious oppression but one that focuses on constant surveillance. He uses Foucault’s arguments on panopticism to describe this. Shah states, “Foucault neologizes panopticism to describe a form of power relying not on overt repression, but rather upon the continuous surveillance of a population and the consequent strict regulation of the body” (703). He explains it is the constant surveillance that strips individuals of their rights and places them under oppression. He goes on to
In “Panopticism” Foucault states, “the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power” (Foucault, pg. 201). The function of the Panopticon is to keep the prisoners orderly by instilling fear inside of them, this fear forces them to stay in their cells, and to remain compliant. The Panopticon is a building designed for surveillance.
Perhaps no other event in modern history has left us so perplexed and dumbfounded than the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, an entire population was simply robbed of their existence. In “Our Secret,” Susan Griffin tries to explain what could possibly lead an individual to execute such inhumane acts to a large group of people. She delves into Heinrich Himmler’s life and investigates all the events leading up to him joining the Nazi party. In“Panopticism,” Michel Foucault argues that modern society has been shaped by disciplinary mechanisms deriving from the plague as well as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, a structure with a tower in the middle meant for surveillance. Susan Griffin tries to explain what happened in Germany through Himmler’s childhood while Foucault better explains these events by describing how society as a whole operates.
The constant eye of Big Brother invades the privacy of its members. The inevitable, looming screens at every turn, in every room, serve as a reminder that every move one makes is watched. Then when it is least expected, the voice behind the screen singles out a person and screams at them; the results lead to jumpiness and high levels of stress. A study shows that being watched “can change your behaviour and choices without you realising it.” (Goldman, “How Being Watched Changes You- Without You Knowing) insomuch, the telescreens work as a deterrent against breaking the rules. Everyone is far less likely to commit crimes since subconsciously they know that Big Brother is observant and they will have very little success in escaping should they be found guilty. This guarantees that the people will be wary of their speech, behaviour and facial expressions at all times. In fact the telescreens cannot be turned off, save for some special privileges given to the Inner Party which, turn into the catalysts for arrests for nothing but supposed delusions against the government. Taking away the privacy, makes the members feel vulnerable and therefore, easier to mold to Party
Michel Foucault's "Panopticism" is based on the architectural concept of the panopticon. Foucault extended this concept to create a new sort of authority and disciplinary principle. His idea was that of the anonymous watchers hold in and has the power to influence the ones being watched. This concept is two fold – it is subject to the person being watched not being able to know when they are being watched and to the rules of society places on individuals on how they should act in a given situation. This idea can be applied to every day life, like how we set up testing rooms for students or when reading literary works such as Dracula by Bram Stoker. In Dracula, there are power differentials caused by a character or characters "seeing" what others do not and caused by societal constructions.
As each person feels alone and alienated under big brother’s watchful eye, they have no choice but to build the only relationship and bond they can, with that of their oppressor. The knowledge that the thought police watches the citizen’s every move influences the masses towards a “norm” of a constant state of fear and discipline resulting in utmost loyalty to Big Brother. Also, because people have no idea when they’re being watched, they learn to behave as if always under scrutiny. This transforms people into their own forms of a panoptic gaze, policing their own thoughts and actions from the fear of possible surveillance. Foucault refers to it as “ becoming the bearers of our own oppression”.
In Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish, he examines the role of the panopticon in the prison system in the eighteenth century. The panopticon was a method to maintain power and to ensure good conduct amongst prisoners. The panopticon is described as a central tower where one in power can oversee the surrounding area. Surrounding the center tower are cells containing prisoners. The inmates aren’t able to communicate with one another. Also, the prisoners are unable to distinguish whether it is a guard on duty watching their every move. The architectural design of the panopticon gives guards or those in power the upper hand. As a result of the prisoners being unable to determine whether someone ...
The theory of Panopticon by Foucault can be applied in this poem. According to Foucault, there is a cultural shift from the old traditional discipline of inmates to a European disciplinary system (314). In this new disciplinary model, the prisoners always assume that they are under constant watch by the guards and they start policing themselves. Panopticon is the process of inducing inmates to a state of conscious and ...
The telescreens in 1984 served two purposes, surveillance and mind control. Unlike the televisions of our present day, the telescreens in 1984 also served as a device constantly monitoring the citizen’s actions by means of an integrated camera and microphone in addition to broadcasting continuous p...
In the novel 1984, the characters are always being watched. They feel as if there is no benefit to being watched, especially when they get arrested for things they say. Technology is at the point where, “Who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell
What is solitary Confinement? Solitary Confinement is the practice of isolating people in closed cells for 22-24 hours a day, virtually free of human contact, for periods of time ranging from days to decades. Solitary confinement results primarily from an individual’s behavior while incarcerated, not from their sentence. Although you are isolated and free of human contact Solitary Confinement can promote and worsen mental health issues. When being locked up in a cell for 23 hours everyday you do not get the exercise and activity that regular prisoners will get. Many of the prisoners subjected to isolation have serious mental illness and the conditions of solitary confinement can exacerbate their symptoms or provoke recurrence. Therefore Solitary
In his book titled Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault explores the beginning of the modern-day prison system and the culture of surveillance that it has created. Foucault argues that the modern penal system is one that executes mental and psychological punishment w...
First, all aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same single authority. (Abraham S. Goldstein, 1971) As in prison, all the inmates are control by prison authority. They have to live in jail, follow the rules of prison system, and do everything that are arranged by the authority. The discipline is organized by the planning of the inmate’s movement.
Originally derived from the measures to control “abnormal beings” against the spreading of a plague, the Panopticon is an architecture designed to induce power with a permanent sense of visibility. With a tower in the center, surrounded by cells, the prisoners can be monitored and watched at any given time from the central tower. The goal of this architectural plan was to strip away any privacy and therefore create fear induced self-regulation amongst the prisoners, with an unverifiable gaze - The prisoners can never identify when and by whom they are being observed from the tower.
Michel Foucault’s essay, “Panopticism”, links to the idea of “policing yourself” or many call it panopticon. The panopticon is a prison which is shaped like a circle with a watchtower in the middle. The main purpose of the panopticon was to monitor a large group of prisoners with only few guards in the key spot. From that key spot, whatever the prisoners do they can be monitored, and they would be constantly watched from the key spot inside the tower. The arrangement of panopticon is done in excellent manner that the tower’s wide windows, which opened to the outside and kept every cell in 360-degree view. The cells were designed so it makes impossible for the prisoners to glances towards the center. In short, none of the prisoners were able to see into the tower. The arrangement of cells guaranteed that the prisoner would be under constant surveillance. This is the beauty of the panopticon that anyone can glance at the cells from the tower but no prisoners can see the tower. The prisoners may feel like someone is watching, and know the he or she is powerless to escape its watch, but the same time, the guard in the tower may not be looking at the prisoners. Just because the prisoners think that someone is watching them, they will behave properly.