In Michel Foucault Discipline and Punish, the section on Panopticism was one of my favourites. In this section he brings attention to two components of society that can be seen today. The first being at the beginning of the section, where Foucault refers to the leper in the context of the plague. He states that the plague was used as a process of order. The plague’s “function is to sort out every possible confusion: that of the disease, which is transmitted when bodies are mixed together; that of evil, which is increase when fear and death overcome prohibition” (197). Through this process of order arises the leper, the infected individual of the plague that must be placed into quarantine until he or she loses to death. This unfortunate event
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The panopticon, as a structure or as a mechanism, as Foucault refers to it as, is completely different from its counterpart the dungeon. Instead of depriving the inmate it allows the inmate to always see their captors structure, however they are not able to see whether or not the captors eyes are upon them. This mechanism instills a type of fear in the individual of not knowing whether he or she is being watched. In todays society this can be compared to public surveillance, which in my opinion, is seen in every institution. Thinking about my first interaction with surveillance, what comes to mind is my teachers in school. During the early years in the educational institution, my classroom would be set up in an order which prohibited the students from staring directly at the teachers desk. Thus instead to see the teacher and his or her desk, the student must fully turn around which then shows not only to the teacher but to the student that you are not paying attention to what is in front of you. As a result I always felt as if I was being watched. Fast forward to todays society I notice it in every public space. This spatial organisation places those of power either above those that have less power and as such those who wield power have the all seeing
The panopticon, as a structure or as a mechanism, as Foucault refers to it as, is completely different from its counterpart the dungeon. Instead of depriving the inmate it allows the inmate to always see their captors structure, however they are not able to see whether or not the captors eyes are upon them. This mechanism instills a type of fear in the individual of not knowing whether he or she is being watched. In todays society this can be compared to public surveillance, which in my opinion, is seen in every institution. Thinking about my first interaction with surveillance, what comes to mind is my teachers in school. During the early years in the educational institution, my classroom would be set up in an order which prohibited the students from staring directly at the teachers desk. Thus instead to see the teacher and his or her desk, the student must fully turn around which then shows not only to the teacher but to the student that you are not paying attention to what is in front of you. As a result I always felt as if I was being watched. Fast forward to todays society I notice it in every public space. This spatial organisation places those of power either above those that have less power and as such those who wield power have the all seeing