Panotpicism: From Discipline & Punish

PanopticismStudent’s NameDepartment, Institutional AffiliationCourse Code: Course NameInstructor’s NameDue DatePanopticismFoucault explores the birth of prisons based on the idea of panopticism which is the perception that one is always under surveillance, whether real or imagined. In a bid for panopticism to work, individuals must develop the feeling that they are being watched. Foucault therefore explores the panopticon as a preemption to the modern prison but in this critical analysis, there is a deeper meaning to the panopticon, and this is power. It is the kind of power which exists in the modern society that is considered more disciplined rather than sovereign. In a disciplined society, there is no king or position of authority enacting laws to contain unacceptable behavior. Instead, there are social norms which control the people and define the limits of acceptable behavior, such that people often discipline themselves based on the perception that they are constantly watched by the society. At the beginning of the chapter, Foucault focuses on what was designed to happen in case a plague appeared in a town