Lecture 9: Foucault Con't Flashcards
governementality
- Describes the expansion of governmental scope through policies, institutions, and bureaucratic mechanisms
- Represents the shift frmo ruling through force to managing populations through administraiton and regulation
Foucault on governmentality
governmentality is about how power operates through knowledge and institutions to shape behaviour (internal)
Weber on governmentality
focuses on bureaucracy and rationalization as key elements of modern governance (external)
connection between Foucault and Weber on governmentality
Focault builds on Weber but shifts the focus from organizational efficiency to power dynamics in shaping society
Beyond the 18th century: limitations of a simple definition of governmentality
- While Foucault emphasizes governmentality’s emergence in the 18th century, similar techniques existed in Ancieny Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other early civilizations
- If defined broadly, many historical societies could be seen as practicing governmentality through adminsitration control and population management
- However, modern govenrmenality is distinct in its reliance on statistics, policy-making, and institutional surveillance rather than just centralized role
biopower
- Power over life
- Unlike traditional power (which uses force and punishment), biopower governs bodies and populations
- Manages health, reproduction, brith rates, mortality, and behaviour
examples of biopower
- Public health campaigns (vaccinations, hygiene standards)
- Regulation of sexuality and reproduction (birth control policies, eugenics)
- Fitness and well-being trends (government-backed diet/exercise programs)
biopolitics
- Political strategies for managing life
- Governments intervene in biological processes for economic and political stability
- Concerned with population control, health management, and social politices
examples of biopolitics
- Immigration laws based on demographics
- Social policies on aging, fertility, and family planning
- Surveillance of bodies (tempeorature checks, biometric data collection)
biopower and biopolitics in Discipline and Punish
Discipline and Punish does not explicitly say biopower and biopolitics
discipline and punish
- Explores the historical shift from sovereign power (punishment as a spectacle) to discplinary power (surveillance and normalization)
- Modern societies regulate individuals not through direct coercion but through institutions, surveillance, and norms
- Introduces the concept of Panopticism
The spectacle of punishment (pre-18th century)
public executions as displays of sovereign power (top-down approach to law enforcement)
The rise of discipline (18-19th century)
prisons, schools, and hospitals emerge as sites of control (diffused approach to law enforcement)
Surveillance & normalization
the Panopticon as a model for self-regulation
Discipline and Punish’s connection to power
power is not just repressive but also productive: it shapes individuals and behaviours
power/knowledge
- A collection of interviews and writings where Foucault clarifies his theories on power, discourse, and knowledge
- Expands on ideas from Displine and Punish and The History of Sexuality
- Explains how power functions not just through repression but through the production of knowledge and truth
- Power operates through discourse: the ways we talk about and define reality
traditional view of knowledge
knowledge is objective and neutral
Foucault’s view of knowledge
knowledge is always tied to power: it is produced through insituttions and systems of control
resistance to power
- Power is everywhere but so is resistance
- Alternative knowledge systems challenge dominant power structures (ex. Feminist theory, queer theory, postcolonial studies)
- Resistance is not just rebellion but also the creation of counter-discourse
- Ex. shifting from viewing homosexuality as a disorder to a recongized identity
Disciplinary power as productive, not just repressive:
- Traditional power: prohibitive, inflicts pain on the body
- Disciplinary power: shapes behaviour, trains obedience
Discipline vs. law & law enforcement
- Law is reactive: it punishes rule breakers
- Discipline is proactive: it instills self-regulation and compliance
Modern society as a mix of old and new power
- Discipline does not replace traditions power (torture, punishment)
- Remnants of older, coercive power structures remain
The limits of discripline: resistance
- People push back against surveillance and control
- Society is disciplinary but not fully disciplined
Transformation of policing
- Shift toward law enforcement-focused policing, but variations persist
- Different nations develop distinct policing models based on political and legal traditions
Policing in Continental Europe
- Broad police functions: regulated murder, public smoking, traffic, and social order
- Integrated into state governance beyond just crime control
- Militaritic and highly centralized
- Strong national control over police forces
- Focused on state security and order maintenance
Policing in liberal democracies
- More restricted police power: focused on constitutional rights and criminal law enforcement
- Greater legal oversight and limitations on police authority
Colonial policing models
- Designed to serve economic and political interests of colonial rule
- Often more repressive, prioritizing control over populations rather than general law enforcement
American policing
- Locally organized: early policing was run by towns, not a centralized force
- Federal policing developed gradually, with meaningful expansion only in the 20th century
- More decentalized compared to European models
British policing
- Civilian-based model but with national supervision (from early 19th century)
- Significant local variation in professionalism and structure
Weberian bureaucracy & policing
hierarchical structure, rule-based decision-making, standardized enforcement
Examples of Weberian bureaucracy & policing
- Impersonal procedures: cases handled based on general rules, not individual circumstances
- Scientific policing: use of forensic techniques, surveillance, and crime databases
- Routinization: predictable, procedural approach to law enforcement
Challenges of bureaucratization
- Reduced acocuntaibility & transparency
- Potential for differnetial law enforcement
- Increased police autonomy from govenrment oversight
Reform & responses to bureaucratization of police instutitions
- Community policing: strengthening police-public relationships
- Restorative justice: focusing on harm reduction and reconciliation
- Technological advances: expanding global policing and crime detection tools
Expansion of surveillance beyond policing
- Mirrors Foucault’s panopticon: surveillance has diffused into all aspects of society
- No centralized power: surveillance operates everywhere, blurring public and private life
Modern surveillance & social control
- Highly technological monitoring: CCTV, data storage, biometric tracking
- Proactive & detailed observation: creates a “nation of suspects”
- Self-surveillance: people adjust behaviour as if they’re constantly being watched
The paradox of surveillance in democratic socieities
- Absence of overt repression allows for more advanced, subtle control
- Surveillance expands under freedom, not just under authoritarian rule
- Raises concerns about privacy, autonomy, and societal norms
implications of engineered surveillance
- Rigid societies: excessive control reduces adaptability and creativity
- Displacement of problems: surveillance pushes issues elsewhere rather than addressing root causes
- Transparency vs. freedom: a more orderly society may come at the cost of autonomy and innovative
Privacy & civil liberties in surveillance societies:
Individual concerns
- Privacy protects, dignity, self-respect, and personal autonomy
- Anonymity encourages honesty, creativity, and risk-taking
Privacy & civil liberties in surveillance societies:
Societal concerns
- Confidentiality strengthens trust
- Privacy is essential for health, social interaction, and open communication
- A nation’s respect for privacy reflect its broader social values
