Introduction to Visual Culture - Assignment Example

Page Introduction to Visual Culture Question # 2 Michel Foucault’s (1975) theory of panopticism examines the link between surveillance, discipline and power. In the text(s) you have chosen to study, what is the relationship between looking and power? Introductory answer While discussing the writings of Michel Foucault.--Discipline & Punish (1975), Panopticism, we would like to emphasize on Bentham’s Panopticon to be the architectural figure of this composition. As per bentham “visibility is a trap”. He mentions that panoptic mechanism provides the arrangements of spatial unities, which make it possible to see constantly and then recognize immediately. Briefly said, Bentham’s assessment reverses the earlier theory of three functions—to enclose, to deprive of light and to hide. He feels that full lighting and a supervisory vigil is better than keeping surveillance at the circumstances and the people in utter darkness. Deducing from Bentham’s observations, the main affect of panopiticism will be to induce in the inmate or the jail prisoner a state of some consciousness towards visibility that will also ensure the automatic functioning of power. Page 2 In short, the theory believes that the individuals will be ultimately caught in a situation of which they themselves are bearers. Detailed answer to question # 2 Sara Mills has accounted in her book on Foucault the operation of authority and power at various intervals in history. Mills further describes the work of Foucault “Discipline and Punish” ( 1977 ), by giving the observation of Foucault , that the power has been exercised in various places of Europe, in ways that included public torture of a criminal, incarceration and surveillance of a person convicted of crime. .Further, in ‘Discipline and Punish’, Foucault has emerged with a self disciplinary regulation in which the internalized control and discipline by each individual forms the basis of this self regulation, wherein the individual is concerned about his or her body function, posture, time keeping control and discipline to have the control as well as sublimation of emotions and desires. According to Mills, Michel Foucault describes the statement of eighteenth century Philosopher Jeremy Bentham regarding the panopiticon device,, in detail in his Chapter, “ the eye of power”. . Bentham has described the concept of panopiticon as an architectural device in arranging people in such a way that it is possible to see them without their seeing the observer. Bentham has given the particular example of a jail in Page 3 which the inmates or the prisoners being under survilaiance all the time, without any of the prisoners having access to one another or to the observer called the authority, in this case. While going through the readings of “Discipline and Punish” – 1975, as translated from French by Alan Sheridan, we find that major impact of the Optoicon was to induce in the inmate a state of mind that reminds him or her permanent visibility, which in turn assures the functioning of power. .The functionality of power and its authority will be omnipresent in such a scenario, even if the visibility may not be continuous. The author puts it in a short and brief manner as a power situation in which the inmates themselves become the bearers. Sara Mills explains the description of Foucoult’s observation of the relationship between the looking and the power in the topic “The Eye of the Power”. The description runs as follows: There is a building, which is built around the perimeter in the form of a ring. At the center of this building is a tower that has large windows opening towards the inner side of the building. There are cells on the perimeter building and each cell has two windows. One window is opening towards the tower facing its window and the other is opening inside to allow the day light to come in the whole area of the cell. Foucault here observes that while the cells have inmates Page 4 like a schoolboy, a convict, a worker, a patient or a lunatic; the tower just needs one overseer to observe. The lighting coming into the cells from the back very well enables the observer from the tower to pickup silhouettes of any of the captives which are put in the ring of cells.. It is here that Foucault describes how the principle of Dungeon is reversed. Dungeon has been advocating that darkness is the best protection against the convicts and it offers good surveillance However, Foucault has expressed by the above-described “The Eye of Power” that the overseer’s gaze combined with the daylight can make the vigilance more effective. As per Sara Mills, Foucault has expressed in detail the meaning of having such spatial arrangement of buildings for prisons schools and factories in terms of enabling maximum visibility and vigilance. Foucault further argues that this gives rise to a new form of self disciplinary practice ( which Foucault calls as internalised disciplinary practice). He observes that one knows that he is under constant surveillance and thus the he is forced to act thinking that he is being surveyed all the time although it may not be so. Therefore, Foucault argues, a new form of relationship has been thrown open by this arrangement between the power and the restriction of behaviors. Sara Mills further states in her book on Foucault readings, that this principle of panoptical vision has been well applied, during the twenty-first Page 5 century. in the form of closed circuit television (CCTV) set up at various places, mainly for the purpose of vigilance and surveillance, in Britain’s town centers. The mere knowledge of such cameras being present to survey the activities around has been effective in curbing the petty crime in the area. Hence, Sara Mills, while endorsing the principals of Foucault, says that the disciplinary structures need to have visibility to operate effectively. However, while doing so Mills also gives the views of the critique of this theory, Berry Smart. As per Mills Smart argues that power exercised through any hierarchical surveillance cannot be property or a possession, as it has the characteristics of a machine or a device that produces the power and individuals are distributed in a continuous field which can be permanent also.( Smart 1985 : 86 ) Mills further describes the reading of Foucault on the principals of Panopticon that when one is subjected to the visibility field and that too knowingly, the responsibility is assumed by he or she towards the power cinstraints.This power relation and visibility concept makes the person who is under the visual surveillance, the principal of his or her own subjection. Mills observes through the readings of Foucault that a new from of power relation emerges from the above, that may replace the power exercised through material means like body torture etc. Here the oppressor may be absent but the internalized disciplinary behavioral pattern induced by the Panopticon system will ensure that the individual behaves in a restricted and well-behaved manner as if Page 6 he or she is being watched by the prison guard or any other power authority, constantly. Thus, as per the author, the Panopticon has been used as a symbolization of power relations that has multiple affects on other fields as well. Further example describes the visibility and power relationship, in a British colonial setting in which .the British traveler can have a lok at the landscape from a hill top to advise the power authorities on the chances of exploring the landscape in a bid to colonize it. This means that all the inhabitants of the landscape are being surveyed along with the landscape to take up a position of authority on the same. While applying to the present day conditions, author observes that the use of these Panopticon device principals of Foucault can be found in the various vigilance and surveillance programs required to keep an eye on the traffic of the people to Malls, Gym, Shopping centers etc.. The author has cited the reference of works by Kendall and Wickham 1999 in support of this. Conclusion Viewing or looking or seeing has a definite meaning in our current society as our own identity is constructed thought the visuals only. We have now in place the biometric scanning and other identification procedures, which involve the Page 7 viewing of the candidate. Hence, visual Operations like framing, genre and inter-textuality certainly have an affect on the relationship between the viewer and viewed or in other words the candidate and the authority. The relation of power and visual medium can be described in short as below: Visual surveillance through devices like CCTV monitors our behavior to put each one in the right category like being a criminal or a civilized subject. The power and authority has a direct relation with the surveillance tools like Reality shows, Voyeurism and CCTV etc.. Knowledge production is linked to the visual power, as it has made it possible to shift the power equation from a sovereign power to a disciplinary one. We have the examples of Panopticism, even today also, by looking at schools, work places, hospitals, and the gender identification procedures. AS discipline comes through the internalized self-control, we have better concerns on various functions like control of emotions and desires, concentration, time keeping and other functions related with our bodies. As the relation between power and visibility is productive, we can conclude that power operates through visuality. BIBLOGRAPHY References: Following links are suggested for the reference to the topic of this essay: http://www.springerlink.com/content/362g622473024452/ http://theoryschmucks.com/2008/09/25/transparency-an-introduction-to-panopticism/ Sources BOOK “Discipline and Punish” – 1975, translated from French by Alan Sheridan, ref: http://books.google.com/books?id=2AnuJCyByQgC&pg=PA250&lpg=PA250&dq=BOOK++%E2%80%9CDiscipline+and+Punish%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%93+1975,++translated+from+French+by+Alan+Sheridan,&source=web&ots=_jiLtpwGoT&sig=OfW_zK4byAfjsthX0IhmTM9P0os Michel Foucault. Discipline & Punish (1975), Panopticism REF; http://foucault.info/documents/disciplineAndPunish/foucault.disciplineAndPunish.panOpticism.html http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/disciplinepunish/context.html Read More