Niicholas, Is "legible" a term Foucault used? From what I know, it is linked to anthropolotgist James C. Scott, who is somewhat Foucaultian in his Seeing Like a State, but references Foucaullt sparingly. Also, are the examples you use - the houses in a row, etc - from Foucault, because I recall Sccott using those examples?

@@kevincurrie-knight3267 Hi Kevin thanks for your questions. I'm not sure how often the term "legible" comes up in Foucault; that's a good question. The examples I used are just for teaching purposes. I don't recall getting them directly from Foucault's, but indirectly through trying to understand what he was saying, and then applying it things I'm more familiar with.

Thank you. It's difficult for us educators to get the balance right for all learners. I'm glad this worked for you.

I hope things don't get too out of hand. I always select not to monetize my videos and blogs. I don't want to make money out of them.

I struggle with Foucault too!

Thanks Paul, it was a pleasure!

My work is done!

Hi Jenny, sometimes it helps to get various different explanations. Some of my students might find your lecturers much more useful than they find me!

Very kind of you to say so, but nothing compares with reading Foucault.

Thanks Emil. FYI what I've presented is one anthropologist's perspective. Different scholars in different fields produce different perspectives of Foucault. So, though my perspective is merely one I really appreciate that it's clear for you.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it.

Thanks for the kind words.

I probably mentioned that it's also a thing of the past. You can find a tiny panopticon in the town of Fremantle in Western Australia. If we follow the argument to its logical end, prisons will be unnecessary in the future as we will all discipline ourselves!

@@NicholasHerriman We are creating a reverse panopticon? Where everyone wants to be on the tower but this time without the one-way glass?

You're welcome.

Thanks Om Kumar; credit goes to Foucault. Like his theory or not, it is among the original and influential philosophies of the last century.

Sama-sama Pak. Sungguh rumit pemikirannya Foucault. Susah payah pertama kali saya membaca beliau.

Here it is: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r5mVmLuYnrjSnIU.html

Thanks!

Hi and thanks Stephani. I have bought several mid-priced microphones but struggle to get a reasonable audio. I might need to splurge on an expensive one.

Hi Pak Ripto. Great to hear from you!

Glad it was helpful!

Tell them to watch this presentation by Nicholas Herriman! Ha ha, just kidding. The main point is that we now discipline ourselves; we have an inner prison guard in our mind.

Hi Emil, Thanks for your interest in this topic. I recently presented reflections on research, as well as my well my own thoughts, regarding, governmentality in Southeast Asia. It might be useful: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rbxyms-ZycXKeXk.html

Thanks for the challenging question. I think it requires a long answer. Can I answer it in another Blog on Foucault that I'm working on?

@@NicholasHerriman of course, be really interesting to hear..... Feel free to personal message me about it

@@j007hazzard I was going to blog it, but it got too confusing! Anyway, what follows is what I have.

I presume that if Foucault was doing the analysis, he would say that lecture capture is a form of surveillance. If I was doing the research, first I would have to wait and see what my research participants say. And I can foresee a couple of issues with adopting Foucault's approach. First, maybe my research participants say to me, "lecture capture is a form of surveillance". In this case, one problem with using Foucault might be what we call "read back". 'Read back' occurs when participants themselves are familiar with a social science theory and recite them back to me as a researcher. This makes my work as a researcher even more complicated as I need to then analyse how much Foucault has influenced their understanding etc etc. Second issue is maybe a research participant, call her Jane, says to me "I like lecture capture; it provides me with an opportunity to share the fruits of years I've spent learning". Now I, the anthropologist, might adopt a Foucauldian approach and write, "Jane thinks that she is sharing the fruits of her study, but actually what has happened is that her entire subjectivity is one that has been disciplined into naturalizing self-surveillance; it's a form of governmentality". But I'm not sure if by writing such an analysis of Jane I'm being too condescending and dismissive of Jane's own experience.

@@NicholasHerriman very interesting...... In the case of Jane, I guess there will need to be further analysis of the narrative to determine other factors that might help understand her altruistic approach to sharing the fruits of her study - but from a critical or Foucauldian perspective it's difficult to avoid the impact of governance. Regarding "read back", this is actually new to me and certainly a consideration regarding Foucault as a theoretical lens but I guess it applies to other examples, like the use of habitus etc. Whilst using Bourdieu. I guess studying academics from the social sciences convolutes the already convoluted interpretivist paradigm!

Good point. I'd encourage you to point out those relations in the comments here or in your own lecture. It'll help me understand Foucault too.

Yes, Foucault thinks that we've internalized that prison. Each of us lives as if we were in a panopticon, our actions potentially the object of surveillance from a guard tower.

Probably not according to Foucault. The rights we have are just a cover. Underneath it, we are all obedient, disciplined subjects. We might pride ourselves on being larrikins and rebels, but, if Foucault is right, we are kidding ourselves.