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Panopticism foucault essay
Panopticism foucault essay
Panopticism foucault essay
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Jeremy Bentham, a social-philosopher associated with the Utilitarians, described his
Panopticon as “a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind” in such quantity that
had no precedent. The Panopticon began, as a concept to allow a smaller number of
managers to oversee the activities of a large and unskilled workforce. It is a circular
building which has a tall observation tower in the centre, surrounded by empty space and
an outer wall which is made up of cells. Each of these cells would hold an occupant
who would be visible and distinguishable to an authoritative figure invisibly positioned in
the tower. Not only would the official be invisible to the occupants but so would each
occupant to the next through the division of cells by concrete walls, completely isolating
and individualising them - thus creating more effective surveillance.
The word “Panopticon” means to literally “observe all”, which is what the architectural
structure conceptually allowed a singular figure to do. Bentham aimed for psychological
control over the inmates within the Panopticon by inducing “a state of conscious and
permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power”. To be successful in
this the inmate would be constantly aware of the possibility of being watched, through the
visibility of the large central tower, however the inmate must never be certain of this, and
must only be certain of the fact that there is never a moment that could not be observed. If
successful, after a time the power would have become internalised and the transition from
discipline to subjection would begin.
Foucaultian Panopticism
The Foucaultian Panopticism was originally formed from Bentham’s published intro...
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...eties of Control. New York: The MIT Press. 3 - 7.
Elmer, G. (Uknown). Panopticon - Discipline - Control. Available: https://www.academia.edu/848371/The_Panopticon_Discipline_Control. Last accessed March 2014.
Bruguera, T. (Unknown). An Object for TH - "Disciplinated Trust". Available: http://www.taniabruguera.com/cms/489-0-An+Object+for+TH+-+Disciplinated+Trust.htm. Last accessed March 2014.
Pohl, E. (2009). Slave City / Atelier Van Lieshout. Available: http://www.archdaily.com/30114/slave-city-atelier-van-lieshout/. Last accessed March 2014.
Manchester, E. (2006). Santiago Sierra160 cm Line Tattooed on 4 People El Gallo Arte Contemporáneo. Salamanca, Spain. December 2000. Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sierra-160-cm-line-tattooed-on-4-people-el-gallo-arte-contemporaneo-salamanca-spain-t11852/text-summary. Last accessed March 2014.
Ibid
Ibid
"Prison Legal News - Legal articles, cases and court decisions." Prison Legal News - Legal articles, cases and court decisions. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” Ways of Reading. Fifth ed. Ed. David Barholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999, 312-342. Print.
Winokur, Mark. “The Ambiguous Panopticon: Foucault and the Codes of Cyberspace” CTHEORY.NET. 13 March 2003. Access date : 28 April 2005. < http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=371>
paragraph only more intensified and there are several factors in a prison setting that would result in the ...
These cells all face a secured central area. Technology plays a major role in keeping the facility up to the highest security standards. Every cell’s doors are controlled remotely and the cells include “video surveillance, motion detection and exterior lighting” (Berge). With these technological security measures, there are also procedural precautions. Inmates are kept in their cells for 23 hours a day until their sentences are completed.
Rediker, Marcus. The Slave Ship A Human History. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print.
Peabody, Sue. “Slavery and the Slave Trade.” Ed. Jonathan Dewald. Vol 5. New York. 2004. 429- 438. Gale
The debate over prison systems in the United States has been a long controversy. The question as to; if stuffing a facility full with convicted criminals to be guarded by a flock of civilian employees will foster progress. But a main factor that contributes, is the line between guard and civilian. A guard, while trained, is not a military personal. The power given to them over the lives of others when they are simply a citizen is not normal for everyday citizens. This is one of the things Dr. Phillip Zimbardo wanted to test in his prison experiment at Stanford University, working on staff. Zimbardo created a mock prison in the basement, drawing psychologically fit young gentlemen to see what would happen. In a short
closely regulated by the government in order to maintain a safe housing unit for inmates.
In dealing with Prison Procedure, I feel that many things are put into perspective all the way from intake to the release of an inmate back into the community or until they have served their sentence and their time is up. Everything in a prison must be on close watch. The workers should be watched just as well as the inmates. All the prisons procedures should be followed under a very strict manner to ensure that the prison functions properly and effectively.
...e concept of panopticon is enough in our society to insure discipline when he says, “A real subjection is born mechanically from a fictitious relation. So it is not necessary to use force to constrain the convict to good behavior, the madman to calm, the worker to work, the schoolboy to application, the patient to the observation of the regulations. Bentham was surprised that panoptic institutions could be so light: there were no more bars, no more chains, no more heavy locks” (Foucault 289). Only thing that our society needs today to make it a better place is panopticon. This is exactly what Foucault is saying when he says, “panoptic institutions could be so light”. People in our society are just like the prisoners inside the panopticon. We think that some is watching from the tower and we behave properly similar to the traffic rules example that I talked about.
The Supreme Court has acknowledged four significant factors in determining the rationality of a prison guideline. Courts should contemplate whether there is a lawful, sensible association between the guideline and the reasonable interest advanced to justify it, whether different means for exercising the proclaimed right continue to exist, whether accommodation of the proclaimed right will unfavorably disturb guards, other inmates, and distribution of prison properties generally, and whether there is an noticeable substitute to the guideline that fully accomm...
...ns constitute a structural network of supervision, in which individuals may not only be subjected to power, but also play a role in employing and exercising power. Moreover, individuals internalize such and act accordingly. As such, there has been a greater possibility for intervention in individuals’ lives, not only in terms of illegal actions but also crimes against abnormalities. The aim of contemporary discipline is the transformation of individuals into productive forces of society. The basic functioning of society rests on such. Ultimately, the nineteenth century penal regime- not limited to the judicial system- has been largely successful in exerting disciplinary power. Not only has disciplinary power dispersed outside the walls of prison, but moreover, members of society have remained unaware of its presence, as they conform to and participate in it.
the outside society, with little or no contact at all until the inmates stay is
The Eiffel Tower, also known as La Tour Eiffel in French, is a world famous structure located in Paris, France. The construction of the Eiffel Tower began in July 1887 and was completed in March 1889. The Eiffel Tower was chosen in a contest, out of hundreds of artist proposals, to being a center piece at the Exposition Universelle, World’s Fair, hosted by Paris in 1889. The purpose of the contest was to select a building which would commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution in 1789, demonstrate France’s industrial expertise to the world, and serve as the center piece of the World’s Fair. The Eiffel Tower is currently located on Champ-de-Mars, the center of Paris. Originally, the tower was built as temporary monument and was planned to be demolished after twenty years of its construction. Before its completion, the tower received several oppositions to ending its construction. A group of about three hundred artists, sculptors, writers and architects sent a petition to the commissioner of the Paris Exposition, pleading to end the construction of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was accused of taking away the beauty and light of the capital. However, the petition was ignored and the construction continued. The decision to demolish the tower was also eliminated due to the monument’s abilities and functions, which were discovered after its completion. The Eiffel Tower contains a meteorology laboratory for scientists’ to use for studying and inventing purposes on gravity and electricity. The tower also serves a significant role due to its antenna, which was added in 1930. The French military used the Eiffel Tower’s antenna as a wireless telegraph transmitter to communicate with ships in the Atlantic Ocean and...