Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. 195-228. Print.
Keywords: power, surveillance, visibility, perfection, separation
Michel Foucault was a philosopher and historian that was born in France. He focused his interests on philosophy of technology, the association between knowledge and power, ethics, and social theory. Foucault was a philosophy professor at the University of Paris VIII, and wrote several other notable works in addition to Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison such as The History of Sexuality, Archaeology of Knowledge, and The Discourse on Language.
Foucault begins “Panopticism” by discussing the methods taken by governments to combat and protect societies against the black plague. He mentions how there was spatial segregating, wherein each individual had to report all their information, from within the boundaries of their homes, to guards on a daily basis. Towns were divided, the living, the sick, and the dead all resided in separate areas, and there was constant observation of each home to facilitate containing the plague and display order and hierarchical power. He then proceeds to discuss the model of a prison constructed by Jeremy Bentham. This prison was named the Panopticon, and through its design, it isolated each inmate, in which they had no power, and were to be observed constantly by a guard. This is extremely similar to the containment of the black plague, but more powerful and in control. Foucault describes Bentham’s Panopticon as, “Each individual, in his place, is securely confined to a cell from which he is seen from the front by the supervisor; but the side walls prevent him from coming into contact with his companions. He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject of communication” (6-7). He believed that the concept of the Panopticon served as an ideal location for inmates, but could also support other individuals, such …show more content…
In the show, an epidemic occurs that causes the dead to rise. The survivors often call the dead that have risen as “walkers”. The main character, Rick Grimes (portrayed by Andrew Lincoln), wakes up from a coma three months after the events of the epidemic have begun, and he is utterly unaware of the state of affairs. This series demonstrates Foucault’s ideas insofar as the living are the guards of the Panopticon, who have all the power and do surveillance over walkers in order to keep each other safe, whereas the dead are the inmates; they are seen by the living, but do not actually see. In season three, the main group of survivors finds a prison and they decide to live there in order to raise a newborn baby and maintain the safety of the group. The survivors hold the power as they have control over the walkers, they wish to be unseen, and if they are, then they lose their authority. When Foucault states, “visibility is a trap” (6) he is correct. If the survivors are seen by the walkers, the control is shifted from the survivors to the walkers insofar as they become the hunted. The reverse could also be argued, that the walkers are the guards and the survivors are the prisoners because they are in a constant state of fear and are simply trying to live. They are prisoners of the apocalypse instead of inmates in a prison, following routines in order not to be caught (or eaten) by
Keywords: power, surveillance, visibility, perfection, separation
Michel Foucault was a philosopher and historian that was born in France. He focused his interests on philosophy of technology, the association between knowledge and power, ethics, and social theory. Foucault was a philosophy professor at the University of Paris VIII, and wrote several other notable works in addition to Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison such as The History of Sexuality, Archaeology of Knowledge, and The Discourse on Language.
Foucault begins “Panopticism” by discussing the methods taken by governments to combat and protect societies against the black plague. He mentions how there was spatial segregating, wherein each individual had to report all their information, from within the boundaries of their homes, to guards on a daily basis. Towns were divided, the living, the sick, and the dead all resided in separate areas, and there was constant observation of each home to facilitate containing the plague and display order and hierarchical power. He then proceeds to discuss the model of a prison constructed by Jeremy Bentham. This prison was named the Panopticon, and through its design, it isolated each inmate, in which they had no power, and were to be observed constantly by a guard. This is extremely similar to the containment of the black plague, but more powerful and in control. Foucault describes Bentham’s Panopticon as, “Each individual, in his place, is securely confined to a cell from which he is seen from the front by the supervisor; but the side walls prevent him from coming into contact with his companions. He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject of communication” (6-7). He believed that the concept of the Panopticon served as an ideal location for inmates, but could also support other individuals, such …show more content…
In the show, an epidemic occurs that causes the dead to rise. The survivors often call the dead that have risen as “walkers”. The main character, Rick Grimes (portrayed by Andrew Lincoln), wakes up from a coma three months after the events of the epidemic have begun, and he is utterly unaware of the state of affairs. This series demonstrates Foucault’s ideas insofar as the living are the guards of the Panopticon, who have all the power and do surveillance over walkers in order to keep each other safe, whereas the dead are the inmates; they are seen by the living, but do not actually see. In season three, the main group of survivors finds a prison and they decide to live there in order to raise a newborn baby and maintain the safety of the group. The survivors hold the power as they have control over the walkers, they wish to be unseen, and if they are, then they lose their authority. When Foucault states, “visibility is a trap” (6) he is correct. If the survivors are seen by the walkers, the control is shifted from the survivors to the walkers insofar as they become the hunted. The reverse could also be argued, that the walkers are the guards and the survivors are the prisoners because they are in a constant state of fear and are simply trying to live. They are prisoners of the apocalypse instead of inmates in a prison, following routines in order not to be caught (or eaten) by