Gaze of power

From Geography

This is the basis of disciplinary practices where the individual actors observe their own behaviour. It requires power and surveillance. Power will lead to people performing an expected behaviour. To make sure that this behaviour is retained, and not incidental, surveillance is needed. An inspecting gaze which each individual under its weight will end by interiorizing to the point that he is his own overseer, each individual thus exercising this surveillance over, and against, himself. A superb formula: power exercised continuously and for what turns out to be minimal cost. (Foucault 1980:155) Michel Foucault [1], who linked knowledge with power, related the 'inspecting gaze' to power. An example of the ‘gaze of power’is the Panopticon, which is a specific type of prison.

Published by Bernard Jansen & Sonny Joziasse

Edited by Frank Simons