MiniLesson: Disciplined Bodies

Summary

This mini-lesson discusses the concept of disciplinary power, as introduced by Michel Foucault. It explains how societal institutions such as schools, media, and law shape our understanding of what is 'normal' and 'abnormal.' These norms are ingrained in us from a young age, influencing behaviors and perceptions through subtle regulation and surveillance. The lesson emphasizes that these norms are constructed and can be resisted, empowering individuals to challenge systems of inequality and create new definitions of what is considered normal.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Foucault's concept of 'disciplinary power' explains how societal norms are taught through repeated regulation and surveillance of behaviors.
• 📚 From a young age, individuals learn normalized ideas from various institutions like schools, families, media, healthcare, religion, and laws.
• 🏷️ Normal behaviors are labeled as such if they conform to societal expectations, while nonconforming behaviors are labeled as 'other' or 'abnormal.'
• 📜 Disciplinary power operates subtly, training people to accept behaviors as natural or innate without them realizing they are being trained.
• 🚗 A simple example of disciplinary power is adjusting one’s behavior, like slowing down when seeing a speed limit sign, even without direct enforcement.
• 👦👧 Gender roles are enforced from childhood, as seen in scenarios like separating boys and girls into different lines based on expected norms.
• ⚖️ Disciplinary power doesn’t just come from authority figures; individuals who follow the rules also give legitimacy and power to those rules.
• 🔍 People constantly check their behavior against social cues and expectations to either blend in or stand out, reflecting internalized disciplinary power.
• 🔄 The idea of 'normal' is socially constructed, meaning it can be challenged and changed, offering room for resistance and creating new norms.
• 🌍 Systems of injustice, inequality, and oppression are created by humans, so there is potential for humans to dismantle them and construct new, just systems.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lesson on 'disciplined bodies'?

The lesson focuses on how we define and label bodies as 'normal' or 'abnormal' based on societal norms and how these labels are enforced through disciplinary power.

What are some of the institutions that teach us ideas about what is normal?

Institutions like schools, families, social media, medicine, religion, laws, the criminal justice system, and consumer culture all play a role in teaching us ideas about what is considered normal.

What happens if someone does not behave according to the rules taught by these institutions?

If someone does not behave according to the established rules, they are labeled as 'other,' 'different,' or 'abnormal.'

What is Michel Foucault's concept of 'disciplinary power'?

Foucault's concept of disciplinary power refers to the repeated regulation and surveillance of behaviors and ideas, which shape our understanding of what is considered normal.

How does the example of seeing a speed limit sign illustrate disciplinary power?

When drivers see a speed limit sign, they often adjust their behavior (e.g., slowing down) even if there is no visible authority enforcing the limit. This reflects how disciplinary power influences behavior through the possibility of being monitored.

How does the classroom example of boys and girls lining up illustrate disciplinary power?

The example shows how children are taught gender norms, such as boys lining up on one side and girls on the other, and how deviations from these norms are corrected, reinforcing societal expectations of gender behavior.

What role do children play in enforcing disciplinary power in the classroom example?

Children enforce disciplinary power by following the rules and giving legitimacy to them. This reinforces the power of the norms, even without explicit authority intervention.

Why is disciplinary power so effective, according to the lesson?

Disciplinary power is effective because it operates even when people are unaware of it. People internalize the norms and regulate their own behavior to conform without needing external enforcement.

What is the lesson’s perspective on the concept of 'normal' and 'abnormal'?

The lesson argues that what is labeled as 'normal' is a societal construct, and what is deemed 'abnormal' is no less real or imaginable. Both categories are socially created and maintained.

What is the feminist perspective on the systems that create norms of 'normal' and 'abnormal'?

From a feminist perspective, recognizing that these systems are human-made implies that they can be changed. If we create systems of inequality and oppression, we also have the power to resist and create new systems and norms.