Power And Surveillance In 'On Violence Discipline'

Power is everywhere in our everyday lives, where institutions, cities and the government possess it. Within power, those in higher authority or power have control over the rest of the population. Control is gained by many different ways, such as surveillance or colonization. Surveillance can be done through cameras or securities that observe and examine every individual’s movements. Control is everywhere in people lives and it becomes a norm to them, where they do not notice it anymore or accept it and are used to it. Power and surveillance are two factors that relate with each other and can lead to control.
The colonizers have power over the colonized where they control and dominate aspects of their every day lives and actions. In the On Violence …show more content…
For example, Foucault starts his chapter talking about the plague where those who had more power in the town told others what to do, took roll of them everyday and separated them based if they were ill or not. When the plague appeared the town became paranoid and surveillance became big in keeping control and not letting everyone get infected. Surveillance is about keeping regulation and the panopticon was a creation that kept people under order and observation. The panopticon is a discipline-mechanism, where it is an enclosed space that is openly in society and makes power function more efficiently. Those inside the Panopticon are not able to communicate with others and their movements reflect that they believe they are being watched non-stop. The panopticon is a building that resembles institutions such as, schools, hospitals or factories. For example, when an ill individual goes to a hospital, the doctor has control over the patient on what medicine they will prescribe to the patient and the patient must take it to feel better. Institutions will always have an authority that has power over others and resemble the panopticon because they keep people under order and control will always be