6533b870fe1ef96bd12cee21

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Surveillance, from resistance to support

subject

description

Does the theoretical paradigm elaborated by Foucault for analysing the birth and expansion of disciplinary societies provide a relevant platform for understanding the current methods used for public order management? The development of CCTV in public areas has led over the last few years to considerable debate over whether Foucault's conceptual framework - in reference to Bentham's panopticon - needs to be considered within a fresh perspective to address the new ways in which social control is being exercised. A number of highly instructive papers have been published, where the authors use a variety of metaphors to describe these methods - synopticon (Mathiesen, 1997), omnicon (Groombridge, 2002), neo-panopticon (Mann, 2003). All these publications do, however, have a weakness inasmuch as they fail to factor in public support for the deployment of CCTV and suchlike in public spaces and this is a change of considerable significance. This article sets out to analyse the situation and its underlying causes.