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Foucault is ... interesting and my research (and all studies of criminal justice in Europe) has a tortured relationship with Discipline and Punish. On the one
by etrevino 9y ago
Foucault is ... interesting and my research (and all studies of criminal justice in Europe) has a tortured relationship with Discipline and Punish. On the one hand, he's definitely right about the importance of the social body and the symbolic nature of punishment. But I don't buy his conclusions as to why the transition away from that sort of punishment occurred. I give much more credence to two things. The first is the rise of sentimentality (Adam Smith, William Lloyd Garrison, et. al.). The second is the philosophical idea that, instead of curing the social body by excising the criminal, the social body could be cured by reforming the prisoner (this is linked to sentimentality).
As far as Foucault's musings on social control ... I don't buy it. It's a bit ahistorical at that point.
- anigbrowl 9y agoThank you so much for taking the time to reply to my rather, er, tortured question. I had been planning ot reread the Theory of Moral Sentiments and your answer will inform my perspective. BTW I would be most interested in reading your thesis, if you care to send me a draft - same name at gmail.
- etrevino 9y agoHaha, I see what you did there. ;-) I had to withdraw from my program at the (almost literal) last minute due to family issues, so I've been reworking my thesis into a few articles. I'll try to send one of those on in a few days.