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This is a blog for a community of students in Mike Levien's sections of Sociology 101B: "Sociological Theory," in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2009.
Theory Rocks!
This is the informal blog spot for Mike Levien's section of Sociology 101B. For the rest of the semester, we'll use this blog to clarify the work(s) of Durkheim, Weber, Foucault, de Beauvoir, MacKinnon, and Collins. Feel free to endlessly post, and don't forget: Theory Rocks!
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Blog Archive
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2009
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March
(22)
- Warning over narcissistic pupils
- Spirit of Capitalism in America
- Foucault's Sovereign and Disciplinary power in Mar...
- Sovereign Power Vs. Disciplinary Power
- Foucault on the Human Rights Campaign
- Foucault: Discipline, Sovereignty, and Coops
- Disciplinary Power and Welfare
- Memo #2
- Sovereign and Disciplinary Power
- Sovereign vs. Disciplinary Power
- Possibilities of Sovereign and Disciplinary Power ...
- Foucault, Sovereign v. Disciplinary Power and the ...
- Power and discipline in the slums of Guatemala
- Foucault: Sovereign and Disciplinary Power
- Sovereign and Disciplinary Power
- Sovereign and Disciplinary Power and Dictatorship
- Sovereign and Disciplinary Power in the inner-work...
- Foucault in the Classroom (frightening thought)
- Foucault on Sovereign Power vs. Disciplinary Power
- Sovereign versus Disciplinary Power
- Foucault!!!
- Foucault Paper
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March
(22)
Memo 2: Foucault—Sovereign and Disciplinary Power
ReplyDeleteIn sovereign power, punishment is intended for society who disrupts the law. It is used to instill fear, discourage crime, and maintain power (9). Characteristics of sovereign power includes: public, passionate, physical or emotional (3-6), this way the public can be reminded how power is exercised to repress them. Foucault uses the example of torture to show how power is repressive. By torturing an individual to make an example, people will not dare to break a law because of the consequences that will occur. In sovereign power, the executioner carries out the power, in other words, power being practiced is visible to the public (11). Moreover, punishment acts on the body by repressing individuals (24).
In contrast to sovereign power, disciplinary power is intended for individuals (8). It is used to rehabilitate individuals (19). Instead of repressing an individual, they are corrected in disciplinary power (10). Characteristics that represent disciplinary power includes: rational, non-emotional (10), hidden (9), and structural (21). Disciplinary power is more rational because it is not negative. Power is productive as it rehabilitates individuals. Furthermore, disciplinary power is hidden as it is practiced through technicians in institutions (11). It becomes more vague as to who exercises power. An example that Foucault explains is private rehabilitation. Individuals are forced into conforming to norms, i.e. following a times table that is used to embed society’s norms on an individual (6-7). Moreover, Disciplinary power acts on the soul rather than the body. Power works through the persons thoughts by conforming to societal norms.
In examining my institution, sovereign power exists at the micro (classroom) level while disciplinary power is prominent at the macro (institutional) level. On the micro level, some teachers practice sovereign power by punishing individuals to repress breaking the law. In the macro level institution, several technicians, including the faculty and administrators, exercise disciplinary power through rehabilitating individuals to correct their wrongdoing.
Historically, in the one room school house, the teacher was the sole authority and could practice sovereign power as the executioner in the classroom through punishing students who misbehaved. The teacher used punishment to instill fear to prevent the students from breaking the rules further. In modern days, teachers still practice sovereign power in an enclosed classroom. For example, students found cheating will be made an example of in the class by punishing them through detention, a failing grade, or even expulsion.
However, at the macro level, the institution exercises disciplinary power by normalizing the students to conform to the norms. When the teachers send students to the administrators for misbehaving, the punishment becomes more disciplinary to correct the individual rather than a societal emphasis, making an example of the student so that misbehaving does not occur again. The student’s privileges are taken away, the right to receive an education (suspension), for disobeying. The purpose of this punishment is to rehabilitate the student, to allow the student time to think about what he or she did was wrong.
I believe you are right in saying that the schools instill punishment as an example for others. Although some of it is disciplinary, what would you call detention? I would relate that to disciplinary power at the micro level because these students are sent to "student prison". I would call this rehabilitation because they are learning from their mistakes and being placed back into society.
ReplyDeletei wouldn't call it a "student prison" because education is a privilege; at a certain age, a student decide whether or not they want to attend school. In detention, students are rehabilitated to think about what they did. Also, in detention, the students are being observed by some staff exercising power.
ReplyDeletep.s. i am drunk