Discipline and Punish

Discipline and Punish (subtitled The Birth of the Prison) is a book written by the philosopher Michel Foucault. Originally published in 1975 in France under the title Surveiller et Punir: Naissance de la Prison, it was translated into English in 1977. It is an examination of the social and theoretical mechanisms behind the massive changes that occurred in western penal systems during the modern age. It focuses on historical documents from France, but the issues it examines are relevant to every modern western society. It is considered a seminal work, and has influenced many theorists and artists.

Related Topics:
Michel Foucault - France

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The book challenges the commonly accepted idea that the prison became the consistent form of punishment due to humanitarian concerns of reformists. It does so by meticulously tracing out the shifts in culture that lead to the prison's dominance, focussing on the body and questions of power. It contains many complex ideas that cannot be fully described in a single article; however, the larger ideas of the book can be grouped according to its four parts: torture, punishment, discipline and prison.

Related Topics:
Humanitarian - Reformists

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