“Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance…a centralization of knowledge…that the individual is carefully fabricated in” (Foucalt 101).
This piece, “Discipline and Punish”, was extremely hard to grasp for me. I understood some quotes throughout the reading but I had trouble connecting the main ideas. I researched Foucault a little bit and came across a meaning of the writing, which helped me piece together the reading.
I learned that Michel Foucault is writing about the power structures and struggles that developed in Western societies. He uses the panopticon to show how individuals in society are subjected to the powerful ideological state apparatus (ISA). This idea can be related back to Althusser when he talks about the ISA and RSA. Foucault states, “The panopticon mechanism arranges spatial unities that make it possible to see constantly and to recognize immediately”. This idea of the panopticon is one that I had never heard of previous to this reading. It’s actually pretty startling to learn about this type of prison…it sounds dreadful. Yet, in a strange way it is relatable. We are all observers constantly beings observed. For instance celebrities may encounter this feeling more so than any group of people. They are constantly under medias eyes and are scrutinized 24/7 for every action he or she does or doesn’t do.
Another connection I found through this reading is when Foucault is speaking about the different classes in the society. This represents social power, which Marx talked about when discussing the ruling class. Foucault talks about how the ruling class is the “healthy class” and the lower class is the “unhealthy class”.
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1 comment:
Solid post. Your connection to Marx at the end is a good one.
-Starfish
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