INVISIBLE SURVEILLANCE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PANOPTHISM IN FOUCAULT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63026/acertte.v5i6.247Keywords:
Panoptism. Monitoring. Discipline.Abstract
At the fifth conference delivered by Michel Foucault in 1973 at PUC-Rio, gathered in the book Truth and Legal Forms, the concept of panopticism emerges, a central metaphor in his theory of modern forms of power. Inspired by Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, panaptism describes a logic of continuous, invisible and internalized surveillance that replaces traditional mechanisms of physical coercion. In contemporary societies, power is no longer exercised only in a centralized way, but it spreads through disciplinary devices that shape behaviors and subjectivities in a subtle and constant way. The individual, by internalizing social norms, acts as if he was always being observed, even in the absence of a real vigilante. This disciplinary rationality operates on bodies, habits and ways of life, conforming identities through permanent surveillance. The effectiveness of panaptism is precisely in its subtlety: it induces conformity without the need for direct repression. This reflection becomes even more current in the face of digital technologies and new forms of algorithmic control, in which visibility, exposure and monitoring intensify. Thus, panaptism remains a fundamental theoretical key to understanding the contemporary dynamics between power, knowledge and subjectivity.
Downloads
References
FOUCAULT, Michel. Verdade e formas jurídicas. 4. ed. Rio de Janeiro: NAU Editora, 2009. 160 p.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 ACERTTE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Os direitos autorais dos artigos/resenhas/TCCs publicados pertecem à revista ACERTTE, e seguem o padrão Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), permitindo a cópia ou reprodução, desde que cite a fonte e respeite os direitos dos autores e contenham menção aos mesmos nos créditos. Toda e qualquer obra publicada na revista, seu conteúdo é de responsabilidade dos autores, cabendo a ACERTTE apenas ser o veículo de divulgação, seguindo os padrões nacionais e internacionais de publicação.