Task 1 - Panopticism

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture that is, in your opinion, panoptic. Write an explanation of this, in approximately 200-300 words, employing key Foucauldian language, such as 'Docile Bodies' or 'self-regulation, and using not less than 5 quotes from the text 'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan.

The Principality of Monaco is, in my opinion, a contemporary example of Panopticism. The small city of only 500, 000 inhabitants, known to be the “most secure mile on Earth” is also the one with the most cameras. It is monitored 24 hours a day by closed-circuit cameras mounted on buildings, street poles and rooftops. There is nowhere in the Principality where you are unseen by a governing power.  A police spokesperson commented “if a crime is committed in Monaco, and is not caught on camera, then the police are not doing their job” much like in Foucault’s description of plague measures “under the authority of a syndic, who keeps it under surveillance, if he leaves the street, he will be condemned to death” (Foucault in Thomas, J (2000) p.61).

The fact that the people are under constant surveillance is made known is everywhere in the city, on posters and signs, again, similar to the plague-ridden town, police are stationed on every corner “each street governed by an intendant” (Foucault in Thomas, J (2000) p.61). And it works. “Visibility is a trap” (Foucault in Thomas, J (2000) p. 64). Crime in Monaco is rare, street-crime almost non-existent. Both citizens and visitors self-regulate due to the widely-known knowledge of the square-mile city being completely monitored, such is described in Foucault’s description of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon  “a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power” (Foucault in Thomas, J (2000) p.65)

Monaco is a perfect example of post 17^th Century power. One that is mainly psychological. The fact that these people know they are being watched, stops them acting out, essentially rendering them into ‘docile bodies’.  The Principality is known as “the rich man’s mile”, class exudes from all areas, from the hidden supermarkets, to the exclusive restaurants. Visitors and citizens alike know there is a code of conduct, that they are being scrutinised by the people surrounding them, this, in turn, changes the way they act physically and the way they dress.