Foucault

Appadurai (+ Yasmeen)

Valentine & Holloway

+ Michele, de Castell & Jenson

Mobility, Neoliberalism, Mobility, Neoliberalism, and Worlds in Motion: and Worlds in Motion: Play, Travel and KnowingPlay, Travel and Knowing

Schedule and Expectations, Presentations

Mary Paulina

Linda Michele

Dai Pearl

Rachel Indira

Yasmeen Valerie

Jocelyne Gordon

Plan about 15 minutes of Presentation, Bring your Top three Questions, Make good use of your peers to get feedback, and pull apart conceptual problems -- your unhelpfully grey areas….

Mobility, Mobility, Neoliberalism, and Neoliberalism, and Worlds in Motion: Play, Worlds in Motion: Play, Travel and Knowing Travel and Knowing

Foucault and Subjectivity.Foucault and Subjectivity. A History and Critique of A History and Critique of

Reason.Reason. Foucault in this tradition. Foucault in this tradition. Examines historical Examines historical

circumstances that gave rise circumstances that gave rise to the modern type of person.to the modern type of person.

Madness, Punishment, Madness, Punishment, Government, and Sexuality Government, and Sexuality and subjectivity. and subjectivity.

Linked to his history of the Linked to his history of the subject is a history and subject is a history and critique of reason. critique of reason.

Critique of the Critique of the ‘Enlightenment’‘Enlightenment’

Knowledge as a new form of Knowledge as a new form of power.power. Knowledge, for Foucault, Knowledge, for Foucault,

doesn’t develop in a doesn’t develop in a vacuum. vacuum.

Inextricably linked to Inextricably linked to emergence of emergence of institutions. institutions.

Knowledges involve Knowledges involve doing things with bodies. doing things with bodies.

They invade the self-They invade the self-determination of the determination of the individual body. individual body.

Power of rational expert Power of rational expert invades/ moulds/ shapes invades/ moulds/ shapes the individual bodythe individual body

Governmentality, Science, Governmentality, Science, Knowledge and Power.Knowledge and Power. Statistics - make it possible Statistics - make it possible

to think in an entirely new to think in an entirely new way .way .

Government impossible Government impossible without statistics. without statistics.

Counting, classifying and Counting, classifying and recording of people recording of people

People and populations a People and populations a new object of analysis and new object of analysis and manipulation. manipulation.

Sociology can be conceived Sociology can be conceived of as part of this tradition. of as part of this tradition.

For Foucault the state is not For Foucault the state is not a thing - a single centre of a thing - a single centre of power- it is the accumulation power- it is the accumulation of many centres of of many centres of governmental expertise. governmental expertise.

Technologies of the Self.Technologies of the Self. Normalisation through Normalisation through

sexuality -one aspect of a sexuality -one aspect of a wider process that wider process that Foucault calls the Foucault calls the development of development of “technologies of the self”.“technologies of the self”.

Great projects of Great projects of objectification, knowledge objectification, knowledge and normalisation and normalisation turned turned inwardsinwards into a project of into a project of self mastery, self discipline self mastery, self discipline and self control.and self control.

A “technology of the self”.A “technology of the self”.

An historical shift in the An historical shift in the nature of social identities.nature of social identities. Pre-modern identities emphasise Pre-modern identities emphasise

membership of collectivities membership of collectivities Modern forms of identity emphasise the Modern forms of identity emphasise the

importance of the subjects ability to importance of the subjects ability to articulate and reflect upon private articulate and reflect upon private experience.experience.

Issues & Questions Raised Issues & Questions Raised by reading Foucault.by reading Foucault. How are we merely products of an exercise of How are we merely products of an exercise of

power that we don’t always recognise? power that we don’t always recognise? Are we better off for this discipline? Are we better off for this discipline? Power is not just something that represses. Power is not just something that represses. Power produces things, it produces the insane, Power produces things, it produces the insane,

it produces, the delinquent, it produces it produces, the delinquent, it produces sexuality, and it produces the ‘free’, ‘rational’ sexuality, and it produces the ‘free’, ‘rational’ subject.subject.

The Enlightenment linkage between knowledge, The Enlightenment linkage between knowledge, removal of power, and emancipation - that runs removal of power, and emancipation - that runs through German Idealism, Marxism, the through German Idealism, Marxism, the Frankfurt School and so on - is broken. Frankfurt School and so on - is broken.

What’s left? (of ‘agency’, ‘subjectivity’…)What’s left? (of ‘agency’, ‘subjectivity’…)

Ubiquitous mobilityUbiquitous mobilityEveryone it seems has the ability to be Everyone it seems has the ability to be mobile and networked these days, even mobile and networked these days, even some groups who we do not typically some groups who we do not typically associate with mobility associate with mobility

Read the article ‘Call to give the homeless Read the article ‘Call to give the homeless broadband’ broadband’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/439http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4396372.stm6372.stm

How do you think that social exclusion is How do you think that social exclusion is impacted by being on the wrong side of impacted by being on the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’?the ‘digital divide’?

You may have heard of the ‘wandering You may have heard of the ‘wandering scribe’, a homeless women living in her car scribe’, a homeless women living in her car whose blog has found an international whose blog has found an international audienceaudience

Read about her in the article ‘Park and write’ Read about her in the article ‘Park and write’ by Sean Coughlinby Sean Coughlin

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4923488.stm4923488.stm

““It's a tale of our time - about being cut off It's a tale of our time - about being cut off from everything around you but still from everything around you but still connected to people thousands of miles connected to people thousands of miles away”away”

Liz Jensen’s (2001) novel The Paper Eater begins thus: ‘If there’s one thing to be said about life in captivity, it’s that you get to travel.’ This sentence juxtaposes two images that don’t normally go together: prisoners and mobility

Recently, it has come to light that the US has been sending terrorist suspects to be interrogated in countries where torture is often used on prisoners (so-called ‘rendition flights’)

Read the article ‘CIA jails allegations’http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/

americas/4495730.stm

Networks, flows and mobilityNetworks, flows and mobility

Networks, flows, and mobility are some of the Networks, flows, and mobility are some of the most important ideas associated with most important ideas associated with globalization, and some of the biggest themes globalization, and some of the biggest themes right now in the social sciencesright now in the social sciences

Today, we will focus on three theoretical Today, we will focus on three theoretical approaches:approaches:Manuel Castells’ work on network societyManuel Castells’ work on network societyArjun Appadurai’s work on scapes and flowsArjun Appadurai’s work on scapes and flowsJohn Urry’s work on mobilityJohn Urry’s work on mobility

Castells on globalizationCastells on globalization

For Castells, networks are a key feature of For Castells, networks are a key feature of globalization. Networks have no centre, but consist of globalization. Networks have no centre, but consist of nodes and linkages.nodes and linkages.

A world of nation-states (space of places) has been A world of nation-states (space of places) has been replaced by a world of networks (space of flows) replaced by a world of networks (space of flows)

Dominant networks are those of global capital, Dominant networks are those of global capital, management, and informationmanagement, and information

The ‘network state’ is the response of political systems The ‘network state’ is the response of political systems to the challenges of globalization. The European Union to the challenges of globalization. The European Union may be the clearest manifestation of this emerging may be the clearest manifestation of this emerging form of state (Castells 2000; 364)form of state (Castells 2000; 364)

Castells on Castells on ‘network ‘network society’society’

Read an excellent Read an excellent interview with Castells interview with Castells entitled ‘Identity and entitled ‘Identity and change in the network change in the network society’society’

Parts 4,5,6 of the interview Parts 4,5,6 of the interview are most relevant to this are most relevant to this lecturelecture

The interview can be found The interview can be found at:at:

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Castells/castells-people/Castells/castells-con0.htmlcon0.html

Castells on the ‘network Castells on the ‘network society’society’

Read a short essay by Castells on Read a short essay by Castells on ‘The network society’ at:‘The network society’ at:www.jmk.su.se/global99/carin/www.jmk.su.se/global99/carin/netwsoc.htmlnetwsoc.html

““The network society is a The network society is a capitalist society. This brand of capitalist society. This brand of capitalism is different from its capitalism is different from its historical predecessors. It is global historical predecessors. It is global and it is structured around a and it is structured around a network of financial flows” network of financial flows”

Urry on mobilityUrry on mobilityJohn Urry argues that the idea of ‘society’ is no longer John Urry argues that the idea of ‘society’ is no longer as useful as it once wasas useful as it once was

Trans-national networks and the flows of people, Trans-national networks and the flows of people, money, and information mean that it is mobility that we money, and information mean that it is mobility that we should be studyingshould be studying

He looks at the example of airports: “increasingly air He looks at the example of airports: “increasingly air terminals are becoming like cities, and in the ‘frisk terminals are becoming like cities, and in the ‘frisk society’ cities are becoming like airports” (Urry, 2004: society’ cities are becoming like airports” (Urry, 2004: 32)32)

What do you think he means by the ‘frisk society’?What do you think he means by the ‘frisk society’?

Read Urry’s article on ‘new mobilities’ atRead Urry’s article on ‘new mobilities’ atwww.sfb536.mwn.de/veranstaltungen/B3_Workshop_0104_Dokumentation.pdfwww.sfb536.mwn.de/veranstaltungen/B3_Workshop_0104_Dokumentation.pdf

Why staying at home is the new Why staying at home is the new going outgoing out

Zygmunt Bauman (1998: 77) says that ‘nowadays we are all on the move’

We are on the move even when we are at home;

‘we are glued to our chairs and zap the cable or satellite channels … jumping in and out of foreign spaces with a speed much beyond the capacity of supersonic jets and cosmic rockets, but nowhere staying long enough to be more than visitors’

Do you think he is suggesting that too much mobility means that we are never really at home?

Arjun Arjun AppaduraiAppadurai

Appadurai is best known for Appadurai is best known for the idea of ‘scapes’ outlined the idea of ‘scapes’ outlined in his essay ‘Disjuncture and in his essay ‘Disjuncture and difference in the global difference in the global cultural economy’ (Appadurai, cultural economy’ (Appadurai, 1990)1990)

Under conditions of Under conditions of globalization economy, globalization economy, culture, and politics can no culture, and politics can no longer exist in unity, as they longer exist in unity, as they did within the nation-statedid within the nation-state

You can read an except on You can read an except on this theme by Appadurai at:this theme by Appadurai at:www.intcul.tohoku.ac.jp/~holden/www.intcul.tohoku.ac.jp/~holden/MediatedSociety/Readings/2003_04/MediatedSociety/Readings/2003_04/Appadurai.htmlAppadurai.html

To Yasmeen’s .ppt/facilitation

Valentine and Holloway: Overview Valentine and Holloway weave together an

examination of how on-line and off-line worlds are integrated and interdependent in young people’s lives. The relationship between these spaces is often posed in a zero/sum game in which time spent with the former detracts from and reduces young people’s engagements with the latter. They suggest this simplifies the way young people move back and forth between these spaces and the interdependencies between each realm. Centrally, the article is an challenge to those who are either simplistic boosters or detractors about the role of ICTs in children’s lives. To take one or the other of these positions, they argue, is to interpret ICTs in terms of older narratives that have typically surrounded the development of new technologies. This underestimates the way ICTs are used and absorbed into students’ lives and the way such technologies might act as a catalyst for change.

Utopian/Dystopian Thinking

A great deal of utopian thinking surrounded the early development of ICTs.

In conjunction with this, fear-mongering suggested potential threats from this technology

Children are at the centre of these debates

The Problem

Little is still known about how children actually employ ICTs within the context of their everyday lives

Because children remain relatively under-researched and there are few empirical studies of people’s actual use of ICTs

Boosters

Delivers users from constraints of physical bodies/material limitations, offering users utopian possibilities “to create and play with on-line identities” (304)

Creates new forms of social relationships that are potentially global in reach. This allows for the development of more genuine relationships because they are formed on the basis of “genuine interests”

It is a hyperrealization of the real – all the best features are accelerated and made easier to access – “a zone of freedom, fluidity, and experimentation that is insulated from the mundane external realities of the material world” (304)

Detractors

The virtual is a bad imitation of the real world – disembodied identities are “inauthentic” and on-line communication is commodified, privatized and individualized in contrast to the more “communal” forms of face-to-face communication (304).

Invites people to become detached from the social world, removed from full human experiences

Children in particular are threatened; they turn away from the “real”, withdraw from social life and social space

The “real” is a fragile world under threat from the “lure of the ‘virtual’” (304)

Theoretical Framework

Premised on a rejection of the real/virtual and the booster/detractor dichotomies

Working with a dialectic of technology where humans are understood to be “inextricably entwined with our material surroundings, to the point that we need to recast the social to include nonhumans” (306).

This principle underlies Actor Network Theory where “society is produced in and through patterned networks of heterogeneous materials in which the properties of humans and nonhumans are not self-evident but rather emerge in practice” (306) See my example of film and vision in our online discussion.

Theoretical Frame C’ont

Computers are envisioned as things “that materialize for children as diverse social practices … [W]e recognize that computers may play different roles within children’s different communities of practice and so emerge as very different tools, depending on the way different communities of practice make use of them.”

The Study

ICTs allow children “to reconfigure their social relationships and identities in on-line spaces” (313).

The anonymity of virtual spaces allows children to produce on-line spaces separate from their off-line worlds.

But off-line worlds still impact on-line identities. In fact, these identity spaces are interconnected.

Suggest four ways children incorporate off-line into on-line worlds: children’s on-line identities directly re-present off-line

selves and activities even when children make up new identities on-line

these often depend on off-line identifies and communities

on-line identity worlds reproduce class/gender relations economic and temporal realities limit affect how kids

can be on-line

The Study II

Children’s virtual worlds are incorporated into their real worlds because:

Children use on-line activities to maintain and reconfigure distant and local off-line relationships/friendships.

Kids use ICTs to find info about their off-line hobbies and interests

Kids talk on-line about their off-line interests and make “virtual” friends

Participation with ICTs can reconfigure kids off-line identities in positive and negative ways.

Conclusion

“[T]he Internet-connected PC does not have any inherent properties or universal impacts. Rather, it emerges as a very different tool for different groups of children in what we might call … ‘communities of practice’” (316)

What are What are ‘scapes’?‘scapes’?

The term ‘scapes’ indicates The term ‘scapes’ indicates that the cultural flows that that the cultural flows that Appadurai is talking about are Appadurai is talking about are ‘perspectival constructs’ rather ‘perspectival constructs’ rather than fixed relationsthan fixed relations

Flows and scapes impact on Flows and scapes impact on people in different ways people in different ways

Different actors (governments, Different actors (governments, businesses, individuals) will businesses, individuals) will have different perceptions of have different perceptions of their place within global their place within global processesprocesses

According to Appadurai there are According to Appadurai there are fivefive ‘scapes’ which constitute the shifting ‘scapes’ which constitute the shifting political terrain and endless mobility of a political terrain and endless mobility of a ‘world in motion’:‘world in motion’:

ethnoscapes: people in motion; migrants, ethnoscapes: people in motion; migrants, tourists, refugeestourists, refugees

mediascapes: media images of the world mediascapes: media images of the world technoscapes: transborder technoscapes: transborder

communicationscommunicationsfinacescapes: global flows of capitalfinacescapes: global flows of capital ideoscapes: conflicts between state and ideoscapes: conflicts between state and

non-state ideologiesnon-state ideologies

The key thing about these ‘scapes’ is that The key thing about these ‘scapes’ is that they show a world in which it is not they show a world in which it is not possible for economy, politics, culture to possible for economy, politics, culture to fit together easilyfit together easily

It is the disjunctures between these It is the disjunctures between these elements that facilitate global flowselements that facilitate global flows

Appaduarai points to a world of Appaduarai points to a world of fragmentation and uncertainty, but also fragmentation and uncertainty, but also to the imagining of new political to the imagining of new political possibilities …possibilities …

The importance of imagination

Imagination is the means by which individuals connect with new global possibilities. Imagination is no longer:

•fantasy (opium for the masses whose real work is elsewhere)•escape (from a world defined principally by more concrete purposes and structures)•an elite pastime (thus not relevant to the lives of ordinary people)

Imagination is now central to all forms of agency, is itself a social fact, and is the key component of the new global order” (Appadurai, 1996: 31)