Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault - Essay Example

?Discipline and Punish Order No. 506322 Introduction ‘Discipline and Punish’ by Michael Foucault is a Philosophical representation of how the body has transformed from being a vehicle of punishment to the punishment of the soul. The central theme around which Foucault’s arguments revolve is the centrality of Power- Knowledge and how it is represented in today’s contemporary society. In enlightening his audiences on the shift in paradigms involving the punishment of the body to the punishment of the soul, Foucault makes use of various disciplines to justify his discourse. The primary aim of Foucault’s is to help us understand these disciplines and how they relate to our understanding of current power relations within the society today. Thesis: Power was the fulcrum around which all else revolved during the Classical period and through Foucault’s examples and arguments we understand how the body was debased through coercion and control, but gradually there came about a shift in power relations which we are experiencing today. In Foucault’s words - “Perhaps we should abandon the belief that power makes mad and that, by the same token, the renunciation of power is one of the conditions of knowledge. We should admit, rather, that power produces knowledge….” (Michael Foucault, 1977, pp. 27/28) According to Foucault, both power and knowledge compliment each other and go hand in hand together. He explains that power relations cannot exist without the field of knowledge and in the same way, it is knowledge that contributes towards power relations. In Part I, Foucault speaks about torture that was used as a tool to discipline the body during the 18th century, giving us examples of torturous penalties that were meted out during those days such as public executions. E.g. Damien’s torture (pgs. 3-5) This period of torture resulted in the ushering in of a new penal system for Europe and the United States. New theories involving law and crime were introduced while the ancient laws and customs were discarded and the new reforms were based on the political justification of punishment. According to Foucault, “justice no longer takes public responsibility for the violence that is bound up with its practice…” (Michael Foucault, 1977, p.9) However, with the introduction of the new penal system in our society today, judges have to judge something more than the crime and part of their powers are distributed to other authorities. “Today, criminal justice functions and justifies itself only by this perpetual reference to something other than itself, by this unceasing reinscription in non-juridical systems.  It’s fate is to be redefined by knowledge” (22). In Part II, Foucault sheds light on ‘Punishment’. During this period punitive practices were redefined through refinement. Cold blooded criminality morphed into a criminality of fraud. This complex mechanism laid more emphasis and value on more stringent methods of surveillance and effective techniques of getting information which critics called ‘a bad economy of power.’ (79) The eighteenth century saw many reforms in the legal system such as new techniques and tactics for refining and regularizing the art of punishment and reducing the economic and political costs by making it more effective. In Part III, Foucault discusses about ‘Docile bodies’ that was directed towards coercion and supervising the activity rather than the result. In Foucault’s opinion, discipline serves to create docile bodies by disassociating the power from the body. On one hand, it increases an individuals capacity and aptitude but on the other hand, it arrests the flow of energy and brings about subjection. According to Foucault, “disciplinary coercion establishes in the body, the constricting link between an increased aptitude and an increased domination” (138) Among Foucault’s Disciplinary techniques, the one I have chosen for discussion is – ‘Control of Activity.’ Foucault describes discipline as a constant controlling of the activities, operations and movement of the body. The human body is coerced into performing specific actions through division and regulation of its movement. The human body could be controlled and dominated by using various ‘disciplines’. Foucault observed that the many ways to discipline a body existed especially in the monasteries and armies of nations. These disciplines invaded the collective consciousness during the seventeenth and eighteenth century and became vehicles of domination. Application of the various methods of discipline was the apparatus that led to the control of, not only individuals, but also entire populations. “Discipline’ may be identified neither with an institution nor with an apparatus; it is a type of controlling power, ….it is a ‘physics’ or an ‘anatomy’ of power, a technology.” (pg.215) The many techniques of discipline, according to Foucault are control of activity, arts of distribution, organization of geneses and composition of forces. These disciplines are in their nature organic, obligatory, genetic and combinatory. The discipline where ‘Control of activity’ is used, is one wherein time is divided for every act so that the best relationship between the body and its gestures are developed. The body ought to be used to its maximum potential and no part of it should remain unused. In the monasteries of yore, there was strict regimentation of time and this led to a disciplined life in the community. People were not allowed to waste their time. This had a positive impact on the economy and society as a whole. The modern state cannot be functional if there is a lack of discipline. Mass control of people is possible only with discipline. Discipline allows the use of humans to be placed usefully in the social machinery. Individuality leads to multiplicity but discipline allows the norms to be followed effectively. In these contemporary times, we see that in the schools, hospitals and armies the concept of ‘control of activity’ is embedded at every juncture. Students, patients and soldiers are assigned activities which have to be carried out within stipulated periods of time and which are regularly monitored and graded by authorities in power. According to Foucault, those who do not conform to the set disciplines are not ostracized, rather they are marginalized. Discipline is the subject of much concern in schools. In the context of the modern day school, discipline is related to control - a power relationship. In the schools, all activities are conducted by following a prescribed timetable and the students are expected to follow the same without questioning. Discipline of the art of distribution too comes into play in the school model as there is a distribution of power and various hierarchical levels are constructed - like the students, teachers and other higher authorities. Discipline has become synonymous today with class management. (Covaleskie.J, 1993) Constant supervision is required to maintain the docile nature of beings. It is of utmost importance that institutions regularly monitor those who come under their control. Through the control of activity these institutions are able to utilize the human body to a greater advantage. Work given is distributed in accordance to a timetable and hence there was no wastage of time. In the industrial age when the workforces were required to be disciplined the disciplinary techniques of Foucault were found to be useful. In order for Discipline to become completely internalized, it had to be inculcated without use of excessive force. Through repetitive acts such internalization of this technique, discipline was possible. Disciplinary techniques were subtle and hence provided least scope for resistance. Disciplinary power is not easy to perceive even though it is all pervasive. Conclusion In conclusion we could say that all of Foucault’s disciplinary techniques are quite relevant and useful even today in our society. It has served to bring about many reforms in our judicial system by refining the way in which people are disciplined and punished. Punishment has taken on a whole new dimension because punishment is now based on the ‘social contract model’ where violations of the law are considered to be a violation against society. Foucault has helped to pave the way for studies on the normalization of modern society by providing us with an enlightening background of the formation of knowledge and how this knowledge has to be made use of in our society which according to Foucault is referred to as a ‘multiple network of diverse elements. (308) References Foucault Michael, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, trans. Alan Sheridan (New York: Vintage, 1979), Internet references Discipline and Punish www.comm.umn.edu/Foucault/dap.html John.F. Covaleskie North Michigan University PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1993 POWER GOES TO SCHOOL: TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND DISCIPLINE http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/EPS/PES-Yearbook/93_docs/COVALESK.HTM The Need for Cultural Studies: Resisting Intellectuals and Oppositional Public Spheres Henry Giroux, David Shumway, Paul Smith, and James Sosnoski http://theory.eserver.org/need.html Read More