Surveillance Culture

Since Michel Foucault wrote “Surveillance and Punishment” (1975) and declared the panopticon as the archetype of modernity, much has changed as we are confronted with the rapid development of new forms of surveillance and control, from video surveillance, ID scanners, biometric systems, border controls to algorithmic surveillance on social media sites. On the one hand, these technologies seem to make life safer, providing, for example, security vetting at airports. On the other, they contribute to the increasing division between those allowed to cross certain borders and those not. In this course, we will analyze how surveillance culture permeates our life and explore the practices, iconographies, and effects with regard to our bodies, behaviors, relationships, communities, and political possibilities.