Popular Culture
22/11/10

Forces of production
-Raw materials
-Technology/tools
-Skills
-Workforce
Forms of Consequence
-Ideaology
-Social institutions
-Superstructure
-Marrige
-Politics
-Religeon

Relations of Production are a direct product of the Forces of Production.
From these emerge the Superstructure.
The Superstructure affects and legitimises the Base.
We are born into Relations of Production – i.e. a place in society at a point in time.
All culture reflects the conflicting Relations of Production.
i.e. in the 19th century women had no vote, therefore the ruling class of men maintained
their position in society.

Materialism
In a Marxist sense this is not the same as how we use it today (it to want to own stuff).
It is understanding the world as a direct response to economic relations of production.
Materialism is opposite to Idealism.

Idealism
Idealism is understanding the world as the product of ideas of people who can change
the world.
Ideology
At its simplest: “a system of ideas and beliefs”
To Marx: ideology “naturalises power relations through false consciousness”
E.g. Marxists would argue that religion emerged at a particular point in time to validate the position
of the upper classes and the Monarchy.
E.g. we are born into a Western, Capitalist society and therefore know no different. Communist
states, e.g. North Korea, are ridiculed and ‘alien’.

Beauty
Male/Female Relations of Production result in our ideas of beauty.
Women are beautiful as seen and promoted from the dominant male point of view.
Engels “The Origins of the Family”
(Co-wrote “The Communist Manifesto” with Marx)
Marriage is a product of relations of production
- The production of resources resulted in the creation of private property
- To keep private property within the family, men instigated the concept of marriage as
they would then know their children were definitely theirs and could pass property to
them.

8/11/10

Panopticism

Surveillance and monitoring

Control and power

Disciplinary

Self regulation

Power/knowledge/the body

Panoptic structures/panopticism

power

Foucauldian terminology

Disciplinary power

- using discipline to gain obedience

Disciplinary society led to a change from physical coercion to mental coercion

- became a more efficient form of control

Foucault saw the Panopticon as a metaphor for surveillance in contemporary society. But society isn’t a pure

form of Panopticon as society is a collective, not isolated individuals

Power/knowledge/body

- institutional gaze

- physical: asylums, prisons

- social: any institution with hierarchy, eg family, marriage, army, work, schools

- system of control is mental but a physical effect, ie changes in appearance or behaviour to suit the idea of

the control

Panoptic society

- initial control is the fear of punishment

- eventually becomes ‘natural’ behaviour that would seem strange to question and no threat is needed.

Power is a relationship.

- other theories (Marxism, Feminism) consider the power of one group over another.

- but Foucault says power is a relationship between 2 parties

- power only exists if 1 party “agrees” or “accepts” to be subservient

- but the power isn’t there if either party, especially the subservient one, doesn’t engage with the

relationship.

- power introduces the possibility of resistance, ie not accepting the subservience.

Knowledge

- Foucault charted the rise of the concept of madness, ie what is normal/abnormal.

- the concept of madness only arose when people started to be classified as useful to society or not.

- a socio-historic moment

- new status was given to those who can judge “usefulness”, eg psychiatrists

Docile bodies

- a ‘body’ that’s easily controlled, a person that takes instruction/is controlled

- more productive than a ‘normal’ person, eg a soldier

- less individual, eg the population under Nazism.

Randal Johnson quote:

- independence can only be judges within the rules and boundaries of the institution or society framework

we are in, eg within an educational framework, within white, Western society.

Jeremy Bentham

-devised the Panopticon but never saw it realised

- interested in perfect functioning building, something that ideally suited its purpose

4/11/10
Lecture notes... Panopticism

Main theorist considered: Foucault

Looks at how main institutions (church, government, education, prison etc) affect us.

Main points: prison, discipline, punishment and the body.

‘House of Correction’ & Asylums

Madness was an acceptable part of society, e.g. the ‘village idiot’.

From 17th century onwards – new ideas emerged to combat idleness and there was a change in
people’s attitude towards work.

People deemed socially unacceptable or unproductive were locked away, e.g. criminals, tramps,
unmarried pregnant women, the lazy and drunkards.

A concept of ‘normal’ emerges based on productivity and the views of the ruling class.

Inmates were made to work, to be productive, to improve their moral fibre

Society was to be made ‘perfect’ with no deviants.

Problem: deviants in the Houses of Correction would corrupt each other which lead to the further
degeneration of moral fibre.

Therefore, different groups (criminals, the insane, the lazy) become separated

Led to the creation of asylums

- discipline changed from physical violence to mental controls, inmates were often treated,
rewarded and punished like children.

Foucault emphasised that modern society rules us with similar mental controls.

Those with specialist knowledge in these areas (doctors, psychiatrists) gained status and recognition

- they could now decide the fate of society

“internalise our responsibility” = we are individually responsible for our own conformity with
society’s rules

The Pillory

Visible humiliation/judgement of deviants in public.

Physical punishments, e.g. hanging, disembowelment, showed the King’s and the ruling class’ power
over deviants.

Panopticism

Make people responsible for their own discipline and change.

The Panopticon

Consisted of cells surrounding a central observation tower.

Opposite to dungeons/ House of Correction as prisoners are not shut away, always visible and
constantly observed.

There’s no chance for collusion as prisoners are always separated.

Once the idea of surveillance is internalised by the prisoner, the need for actual surveillance is
removed as the prisoners start to self-regulate under the impression that they are being watched,
even if they aren’t.

Gave a perfect opportunity to experiment on prisoners’ or asylum inmates’ behaviour.

New Panopticons: CCTV, open plan offices

We are always watched therefore we work

Our behaviour changes as we feel we’re being watched.

Modern bars are open plan as the customers are easier to control.

Every walk of life is scrutinised in some therefore our behaviour subtly changes.

Power and the body

Panoptic power physically affects us in the activities we do/don’t do and the awareness of our
appearance.

Creates a ‘docile’ body – one that is easily controlled/controllable, obedient

“Cult of Health” – constant information about health means we take care of ourselves, therefore we
can be productive.

TV – a controlling, panoptic medium which produces docility and passivity.

Power – someone only has power over you if you submit to it/ allow it.