The
panopticon was created by Jeremy Bentham but was adopted by Foucault as a symbol
for his whole argument. The panopticon is an intuitional building design that
was mainly used in prisons but was said that it could be introduced into
schools, hospitals and asylums. The idea is actually quite simple: have a
building at the center of the prison with all the prison cells surrounding the
structure in the middle. The building in the middle would have a clear view of all
the surrounding cells but it would have a one way window to only allow the guards
see out; no one was able to see in. With the prisoners always thinking that
they are being watched they would change their behaviour and actions. The
prisoners would be unable to tell if anyone was actually in the tower watching
them, so they would assume that they are constantly being watched. This would
spread the division of power onto each prisoner. This idea is used in schools
in today’s society. Schools now have cameras in them so that the students think
that they are constantly be watched. This also happens during an exam when a teacher
or a teaching assistant acts as an invigilator. Students are aware that they
are being watched and therefore will not take the chance of cheating. Foucault
relates his theory of panopticism to the early seventeenth century when the
plague appeared in a town. The town was
then shut down and guards were placed at the towns gates. The guards used surveillance,
constant inspections and closed off houses in order to insure obedience and
discipline those who did not follow the rules. This created the perfect town. People
knew that they were always being watched and were unable to lie and commit
crimes. People were no longer being infected with the illness. The plague
allowed for the exercise of disciplinary power projects, “rather than the
massive, binary division between one set of people and another, it called for
multiple separations, individualizing distribution, an organization in depth of
surveillance and control an intensification and ramification of power”(Foucalt,
1995).
Another way to look at the theory behind the panopticon
and relate it to how it is used in today’s society is to look at the example of
Santa Claus and how he represents the same watchful eye over the children as
the guard does over the prisoners. Santa Claus represents the panopticon in the
middle of the prison. Santa is watching the children and judging who is
behaving appropriately and who is behaving badly. Thus you will end up on
Santa’s list of naughty or nice and if you are on the naughty list you will receive
coal for Christmas. However, if you are on the nice list you shall be rewarded.
This ties into the prison; if you have good behaviour and follow the rules you
will eventually be released back into society but if you do not follow the
rules you will be punished. Children are told that Santa is always watching
them and that they should be on their best behaviour but never actually see
Santa watching them. Much like the panopitcon to the prisoners, they never
actually see the guards in the tower. The children take it upon themselves to
discipline themselves in fear of being under surveillances of Santa and take
the chance of being put on the naughty list. This concept only works for so
long until the youth become a certain age and no longer believe in Santa. As
these children grow up, the police and their parents become the panopticon and
they regulate themselves under the idea that the police or their parents, who
both can have a disciplinary effect on them, are constantly monitoring their
behaviour. If the prisoners found out that there were no guards in the tower at
a certain time they would no longer behave as if someone was watching them and
might feel free enough to get into trouble.
No comments:
Post a Comment