Sunday, November 19, 2017


Foucault uses the panopticon to illustrate the concept of power and discipline. Designed by Jeremy Banthon, the panopticon is a building with a central tower surrounded by cells. Individuals contained in the cell would be under constant surveillance with the only source of light coming from the tower. This design allows the supervisor to see everyone in the cells but does not allow the people in the cells to see the supervisor. Here, “visibility is a trap.” A prisoner can always see the tower but does not know whether he/she is being watched. Therefore, all prisoners must act as if they are being watched in order to avoid any form of punishment. This form of panopticon discipline produces a homogeneous effect of power. An example of this is the relationship between ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcements) and illegal immigrants. ICE is the watchman in the tower and illegal immigrants must act as if they are being watched in order to avoid deportation. They follow all the rules (e.g. traffic laws-avoid getting pulled over since most do not have a driver’s license) and live “in the shadows.”The presence of surveillance cameras deter people from stealing or violating traffic laws. If people feel like they are being watched, they will be more likely to follow the rules.

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