Lecture 3: Panopticism

In this lecture we are moving on from,  psychoanalysis and the male gaze - Social control

this looks into how the culture we are born into effects the way we behave in as we get older

- The way in which the society effects our consciousness we are also looking at institutions and how we are controlled by this. 

Institutions - Physical Presence examples of this would be  -

The army 

Police 

Asylums

Anywhere with monitored organised behaviour  

Artists and designers - Exhibitions or Galleries these restrict certain paths and then inturn guides them into certian paths, this is a specific form of institutional power called panopticism. 

Aims of the lecture: 

To understand the principles of Panopotation

Understanding the Michel Foucaults concepts of disciplinary.

Consider the idea that disciplinary society is a way of making individuals 'productive' and 'useful'.
To understand Foucault's idea of techniques of the body and 'docile' bodies.

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Michel Foucault - Madness and civilisation - this simply explains that madness and mental health was not seen as a condition

Modern discipline and punish the birth of the prison 

The creat confinement Late 1600's

Houses of correction - to curb unemployment 

Place for the socially useles:

During the middleages there was no real conception of 'The insane' Madness, these people lived an easy life and this was accepted in society, these people where allowed to live with everyone and was just simply seen as the village idiot, this carried on until around the 1600's when a new sensibility arose this produced a new attitude to work and the social value of work from a moral stand point. Not only to produce for society but allso to fix people and make people better. This included people that where seen as useless to society outside the braket of productive labour for society - Insane - Criminals - Drunks - Vagabonds - Diseased - Single Mothers. 

Inside these correction facilities the people where assigned tasks of work if they refused they would be beated this was seen as the most effective method of correction. 

THE GREAT CONFINEMENT (late 1600s) 

‘Houses of correction’ to curb unemployment and idleness

The birth of the asylum:

these where created to house the insane and correct them as a hospital corrects the sick - 

Training people how to behave using the stick - violence example shown above

The emergence of specialist knowledge institutional experts - psychology and psychiatry - medicine - experts in human behaviour. 

This means new forms of society appearing at this time this gave doctors a much bigger role in society.

Foucault aims to show how these forms of knowledge and rationalising institutions such as prisons, Asylum, Hospitals, Schools all now have the effect on in that they alter our consciousness and they intermarries our responsibility. The most important thing for his is how these changes effect us within an institution - Taking responsibility for our own actions rather than using violence. In some way under the modern form of discipline we take care of our own actions. 

This is a modern style of discipline.

Before this modern style of discipline - it was used as a visible reminder of the state over the public  -  You would be punished if front of the public in an  in humain embarrassing manor this is used as a deterrent to the rest of the public.

Criminals where placed in the blocks and killed or injured - this was a sign of the power the state has.  

The aim of discipline and punishment - was meant as a deterrent to the public it was made as spectacular as possible.

works on fear - and is obviously very painful 

The image above shows the execution and punishment of Guy faulks - His plot agains parliament was busted and he was tortured and humilitaed in public as a warning - he was hung testicles and genitalia cut off bowels cut out and head cut from body. 

Discipline is a ‘technology’ [aimed at] ‘how to keep someone under surveillance, how to control his conduct, his behaviour, his aptitudes, how to improve his performance, multiply his capacities, how to put him where he is most useful: that is discipline in my sense’ (Foucault,1981 in O’Farrrell 2005:102)

A society with a modern form of diciplinary power which infuses every aspect of our lives. The quote above is interesting. We focus more on surveillance to control our beahviour thoughts and feelings. Modern displine with an ultimate aim of making our lives much safer and to a much higher standard.

Modern form of discipline - disciplinary society - this is a new mode of disciplinary power

Panopticon - Designed by jeremy Bentham - this was proposed in 1791 

proposed as a design for a generic institution - could have been a school - hospital - prison - asylum

  

Each cell is open from the front and lit from the back - constantly staring into the centre towards the tower - where the supervisors would be

There is a number of cells and each cell is totally open from the front, facing into the interior. It has a large window at the back of each cell where an individual is placed, each cell is lit from the back. 

The key feature of the design is its psychological effect, Bentham proposed the design as the perfect Institution for whatever purpose you choose. The reason for it being so effective is down to the fact that the in mates are at no point able to see each other but can constantly see and be seen by the gaurds. This makes the inmates feel like they are constantly being watched and psychologically forces good behaviour on them 

The dungeon: Where the deviant evil classes, are hidden away and - Deep social depression 

This is completely the opposite to the Panopticon.

A dungeon uses social depression as a way of punishment where as the the Panopticon uses the opposite. 

Comstantly reminded that you are being supervised by someone who has a constant expectation of good behaviour - this is compounded because of constant isolation - psychological torture. 

used as: 

a school no procrastination - chatting

prisin - no chance to combine ideas

The Panopticon internalises in the individual the conscious state that he is always being watched

‘Hence the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.’ (Foucault 1975)

This allowed the guards to leave the Premisis, by the use of blinds this would simply not allow the in mates to see if there was anyone there instead they feel under surveillance 24/7 so always behave. 

A means of Surveillance

This is not just about control and discipline but is also about surveillance and social control. This allows for security and specialists to carry out experiments on people,  the image above is from he Surrey county asylum.   

The method of how the Panopticon works is through the notion of the Gaze - The gaze forces women to take on a specific look that please. The women attempt to achieve male definition - To please the male. However in the Panopticon - the inmates are not influenced but instead behave in the way the institution wants the individual too, this is without physical force.

What Foucaul is describing here is the change in the societies from a form of power that is imposed by a ruler or sovereign to - a new mode of power that is know as Panopticism.

The ‘panopticon’ is a model of how modern society organises its knowledge, its power, its surveillance of bodies and its ‘training’ of bodies.

Discipline is all about making people productive -

Panoptisism - for this to work the key characteristincs are - the understanding that you are always being watched, this will make the people behave socially. 

Modern day Panopticism

he open plan office is used to let the workers know that the boss can see every move - this changes the behavior of the work ethic - knowing that you are being scrutinised - social conformity 

The office is a great example - The managers name is David Brent the comedy of the programme is employees know they are being filmed.

The office is a great example. David Brent is the manager and the humor of the program is that the people always know that they are being filmed. 

What happens is the employees in the office start to act up to the notion of what an office should act like. David Brent acts up to a really great role when - in reality none of his employees respect him as as he is awful at his profession.

This is displayed on bars - you are always on display, as the bouncers and staff can see everything that is going on inside 

This is displayed in modern housing  -  most of the world is recorded and mapped 

maps surveillance. 

Lecture to reform kids 

this was used to maximise the efficiency of education

the register is an other example of panoptic surveillance  

Another example of this is the old it office - your desktop can be put under surveillance the college network can see and control your computer at anytime. Every website that is visited is recorded and logged in a database: They can even record the number of key strokes to see how hard your working.  

Docile bodies - no resistance to power 

Example - Soldier - trains hard to be able to be obedient and effective to achieve the orders given to him or her. 

Self monitoring 

Self-correcting Obedient bodies 

CULT OF HEALTH

Today everywhere we go we are reminded to watch our weight and health, this is all over food packaging and being reminded that we need to eat 5 piece of fruit and veg a day. As you feel guilty you then begin to conform. 

Modern gyms have a large window and an open plan layout this is a sign that you need to show your perfect body to the world.

As the public get healthier and live for longer - The government have upped the retirement age so people live longer but in turn have to work longer.

1984 The film is based on Panoptosism

Social media is a extreemly weird -  we are fully aware that everything we post is to be observed and documented - every move you make will create a reaction. 

This can also be used to act in a way to act up to the gaze and create a scene on Facebook - it is possible to shape and identity yourself. facebook is not reality.