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Surveillance 

Foucault examines how surveillance has become a tool of social control and is now used to monitor our behaviour.

__Foucault__

Foucault

  • Foucault discusses the dominance of ‘sovereign power’; when the monarchy had overall control over punishment.
  • Sentences would usually involve bodily harm that would be conducted publicly to send a message to other citizens.
Disciplinary power

Disciplinary power

  • However, in today's society ‘disciplinary power’ is now used; in which the criminal justice system tries to rehabilitate offenders through punishment of the mind.
Panopticon

Panopticon

  • Foucault illustrates this through his theory of ‘panopticon’ where inmates within a prison are led to believe they are constantly under the threat of surveillance in order to promote self-regulation of their own behaviour.
  • Therefore surveillance becomes a tool of social control and is now used to monitor our behaviour.
Jump to other topics
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Theory & Methods

2

Education with Methods in Context

3

Option 1: Culture & Identity

4

Option 1: Families & Households

5

Option 1: Health

6

Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare

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Option 2: Beliefs in Society

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Option 2: Global Development

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Option 2: The Media

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Crime & Deviance

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