Panopticism - Institutions and institutional power
In this lecture we will be talking about
The power that institutions have over us
Psychical Institutions (Police, Military, Government)
How Institutions effect our consciousness
Pantopticism - Panoticism is a specific form of institutional power that was formed from the mental effects of the building The Panopticon - which was an institution / asylum for the mentally disabled, criminals etc ...
Michel Foucault (1926 - 1984)
French Illustrator
Studied the concept of disciplinary society
Wrote the books - ‘Madness & civilisation’
- ‘Discipline and Punish : The Birth of the Prison’
The Great Confinement -1600’s
-No conception of ‘madness’
-Madmen were accepted into society as ‘village idiots’
-There was no difference between the sane and the insane until the late 1600’s
-At this point a new policy was introduced
-Houses of Correction were built
-Anyone who was classed as ‘socially useless’ (the mad, criminals, drunks, disabled, single mothers) were placed into these houses of correction
-Each person in these HoC’s were assigned jobs and if they didn’t perform or refused to do the work they were psychically beaten.
-In essence the idea behind these correctional homes were to force inmates to work to make them better.
-in the 18th century houses of Correction were seen as a mistake
-They found that Sane inmates were being corrupted by the insane and vis versa.
-Around this time new asylums were starting to be developed.
-These asylums were built specifically to house the insane.
-These new asylums did not use violence to make the insane work.
-They were treated more like children
-If they behaved well they were rewarded and vis versa
-There was subtle training involved to make them behave but also to try and help correct the insane.
-This was also the time that institutional experts were introduced (psychologists, Doctors, psychiatrists etc...) to help aid the re habilitation and study of the insane.
Foucault was extremely interested in the rewarding theory of treating the insane as well as how they learnt from it.
Pillories
- Public Humiliation, stocks, hangings etc..
-These were set up to humiliate and embarrass wrong doers
-These were to prove and reinforce the power of the state.
-Guy Forks was and example of this being hung drawn and quartered.
Modern Society
Disciplinary society and disciplinary power
Michel Foucault - ‘ Discipline is a technology to keep someone under surveillance’
This is called Pantopticism
The Panopticon
-Designed by Jeremy Bentham
-The Panopticon was designed for multifunction (prisons, asylums, hospitals etc...)
-It was a circular building with a large circular space in the centre with a observation tower in the centre
cells cover the inner circumference of the building on several floors, all facing into the central space and observation tower.
-The cells looked into the centre but were lit from the back of the cell
-No inmate is able to see any other inmate, all that can be seen is the tower in the centre which could or could not be occupied by supervisors, the inmate will never know when they are or aren’t being observed.
-This has a mental effect on the inmates
the Panopticon works in the opposite way to a Dungeon (locked away in the dark)
-In the Panopticon everything is light and on display
-This is a very effective method of rehabilitation as you are continuously being observed by guards and supervisors so the inmates therefore realise that as they are always being watched then it would be pointless mis behaving as it is very likely you will be spotted and then punished.
-The effect of this is magnified by the fact they were on their own and couldn’t see or communicate with other inmates.
Michel Foucault view on the Panopticon
-Inmates are always controlled
-Once inmates are used to the surveillance of the panopticon it was often the case that guards were not even needed because the inmates are controlling themselves as they do not know if they are being watched or not, therefore behave as it is not worth the risk.
-Foucault was very interested in this building because of how institutions control and effect society.
What the Panopticon can do
-Allows experiments
-Allows Scrutiny
-Treats Patients
-Reforms
-Instructs School children
-Supervise workers
The Panopticon forces individuals to behave like the institution wants them to
Michel Foucault created the new mode of power known as Panopticism
This is how modern society organises its knowledge and surveillance of bodies
The Modern Panopticon
-Open Plan offices - as people work they are often able to be viewed by their boss whether they have a glass fronted office looking out into the open plan area or if they just can easily see across the room then this will either subconsciously or consciously make you work harder as you feel you are being watched so always need to impress.
-This will make the workers , work hard and control their behavior by their self even when they are not being watched.
-Open Plan Bars - All areas of the bar are visible by the staff
-Unconsciously or consciously you will change your behavior to comply with the expected behavior
-Pantopticism works on the basis of constant observation
- CCTV
- Google Maps - We live in a surveillance society.
In turn this makes us behave as we are wanted to behave
-Lecture Theatre - Works in a similar way
- Attendance registers - If you don’t sign in then you will be punished
Makes the process of learning more productive
How Panopticism effects physically
-Disciplinary Society produces what Michel Foucault calls ‘Docile bodies’
-Docile bodies - do what they’re told and doesn’t argue
-Works hard to get the job done
Disciplinary techniques - e.g. constantly being reminded of what is the perfect body at the gym, so it works in the same way, we have shown an image of what society thinks that we should look like so we either consciously or unconsciously are effected by how we look in comparison.
-Makes people believe they should work hard to get the perfect body.
Foucault and Power
- Power is all about relationships between people
Most people are willingly putting themselves into the ‘observed’ roll
Possibility of resistance.
Main things to take away from lecture
- Michel Foucault
Panopticism as Discipline
Techniques of the body
Docile Bodies
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