Focault's Theory of Panopticism and Chris Otter's Article "Let There Be Light"

There are numerous ways to see Foucault’s panopticism take form in modern society. It can be spotted with cameras placed in various institutions, from street intersections to shopping malls, clearly surveying the area. It can be noticed in classrooms as teachers discipline their students and security looks on from their surveillance rooms. It can even come from the ever impressive NASA satellites in space, hovering above the massive globe and constantly taking in the brightness of so many places on Earth. British author Chris Otter introduced his piece with an argument that the satellites were “as much about enhancing privacy as about reducing crime” in his article “Let There Be Light” from History Today, but his genuine claim regards light. Not only does Otter reference Foucault’s theory of panopticism and acknowledge his emphasis of visibility, but further alludes –in great historical detail– to the stark difference between night and day.

Otter’s emphasis of light was incredibly literal: he described the end of night and the beginning of eternal daylight with the new electric forms of technology dating back to the 1800’s. He looks to the Bentham’s Panopticon and notes the use of lamps to “extend this visibility into the night,” as well as grasping Foucault’s interpretation of illumination “as a technique of ‘subjection’,” and since then, Foucault’s theory of panopticism has been the source of widespread surveillance. Otter takes from this the idea of constant light. While others may skim the surface of this profound observation, connecting it to surveillance and marketing, Otter dives into the idea of light not being so negative and harmful to the everyday person; “indeed, much illumination was, and is, designed to create uns...

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...Otter makes valid and historical reasoning, which awards him credibility and logically persuades any academically-inclined reader. However he neglects to include thoughts on an alternative model of a disciplinary apparatus. He spends all of his efforts disproving Foucault’s light emphasis in panopticism but cannot provide a supplement. It adds more complexity and confusion to one’s understanding of panopticism, not only in modern society, but in its original state. He makes valid points and challenges the approval of visibility’s affect as Foucault had intended. It inclines any reader to reassess Foucault’s theory from a new perspective, be it historical or modern. Despite its common reference, there may be a better yet disciplinary system waiting to be revealed.

Works Cited

Otter, Chris. "LET THERE BE LIGHT." History Today 10(2008):16. eLibrary. Web. 06 Mar. 2010.