Panopticism. (All notes on moodle.)

French philosopher michel Foucault writes bout the ways in which our society condoms and disciplines it's subjects.

Interested In the way institutions condition our behaviour.

The aim -
A building design called the panopticon
Made in 1791 jeremy Bentham

He sees this building as being a metaphor in the way society controls and disciplines it's people/ citizens.

Bio
Michel was a gay rights activist as well as a philosopher.

Both book survey in different waythe rise of instituiobs and the asylum..

Madness and civilisation

Really old society ore modern maras was very different socially.
Thought of differently
The insanse led a reletivly easy life and were considered positive in society

Towards 1600 different social attiturde starts to emerge
Those who went useful for a society was stigmatised

Project late 1600 late confidment
Everyone who wasn't socially productive were thrown in to the houses of correction

Insane and criminals general the poor and unemployed
Anyone who couldnt be put to work. Even the lazy.
they were made to work
With the threat of beatings

They corrupted even more
Rather than "fixing" them.

The Birth of the asylum

Start of asylums
The insanse and separated from the sane..

Inside the asylum the inmates are controlled in different ways
They are treated like minors if they do well they get given rewards

Michel sees this as a very important shift

Society Stetson to realise that there are other ways to treat people rather than physical punishment.

All sorts of knowledge emerge
Phycologists etc
More knowledge of what is normal and not normal.

This we form of social control is imprudent because it represents the shift from someone being responsible for others behaviour.
To us being responsible for out own behaviour..

Abnormal peoe were punish in many gastly ways
They were made to show to everyone that if you are not productive this could happen to you.

Shows how the king is all poweful
And anyone who challenges him would face severe punishment..

However society modernised was more effective ways of keeping people under control.

Modern disciplinary society.
Discipline Is a technique.
Making those useful for society rather than punishing them.

The panopticon
Michel thought it could be a school, asylum or a prison.

Prison - each of the kirks spaces on the outside of the building would be a cell.. Decided by wall each cell has a window which would shine on the prisoner permanently backlit.

Presido Cuba prison applies same concept/ concept.

Institutional gaze USA
Same concept.

Constantly aware that they are being watched but cannot see the other prisoners. Permanently isolated and displayed.

The guard tower was made so the prisoners couldn't tell if they were being watched or not
Which has an effect on a person.

You never do anything wrong in fear of being caught out.

People control themseleves.
the panopticon didn't even need guarding.

Mental punishment rather than physical. A machine of control.

Purpose of the building was to make people more productive.


The office - David Brent.
Knows he's being watched
Makes him behave differently.
Knowing that someone would see the results of filming.
Panoptism.

Our behaviour is being conditioned by panotist apparatus.

Pubs. Change from being intimate spaces to spaces to where you know you're being watched.
Less atmosphere.
Much easier to control.

Panotism is everywhere in our society.. CCTV is the most obvious example.

Another example is goggle maps (moodle) available on the Internet.

Information of Richards address is avaliable for everyone to see.

Everyday of our university life is monitored. And avaliable for people higher up to see.

Facebook is ridiculously panoptic
You act like a performance of yourself. Everyone is watching everything you post.
Social media is also panoptic

Chris burden.
Shoot.

Michel f
Panopticism as a form of disipline..
Techniques of the body.
Docile bodies