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Docile Bodies

The Ideal Soldier in the Seventeenth Century

  • Characteristics of the Ideal Soldier:
      - Recognizable signs:
        - Physical strength and courage: Natural indicators of value, strength, and pride through bodily posture.
        - Physical attributes include:
          - Lively and alert manner, erect head, taut stomach, broad shoulders, long arms, strong fingers, small belly, thick thighs, slender legs, dry feet (skills like agility and strength).
        - Movement and attitude are crucial for presenting oneself honorably, particularly the grace required for bearing the pike -
          - Marching in step, maintaining gravity and boldness with their weapon (Montgomery, 6 & 7).

Evolution of the Soldier Concept by the Eighteenth Century

  • Transformation of Soldier's Body:
      - Shift from a natural body to a manufactured one: The 'machine' of the soldier could be constructed and trained.
      - Learning through practice, where posture became so rigorous that the soldier was shaped into a docile entity that remains obedient at all times.
        - Techniques included standing against a wall to adhere to posture standards as described in the ordinance of March 20, 1764.

  • Implementation of Discipline:
      - Discipline includes:
        - Correcting posture: Holding heads high, standing upright, and not fixing eyes on the ground.
        - Instruction on the manner of marching with boldness and agility.
        - Complete mastery over bodily movements became a goal.

Concept of Docility and its Governance

  • Power Over the Body:
      - Bodies underwent a new analytical gaze in the age of classical thought:
        - Man-the-Machine: Written by La Mettrie that combines both anatomical and practical aspects of controlling bodies.
        - Docility: The ability to be subjected, transformed, and improved: a docile body is one that is malleable to organization and use.
      - Political puppetry is reflected in the militaristic obsession with mechanization and discipline (Frederick II was interested in automation and military training).

Pedagogical Evolution and the Birth of Disciplines

  • Deepening Control Techniques:
      - Emergence of meticulous control methods that go beyond mere observation:
        - New standards focused on individual bodies rather than a singular collective.
        - Ongoing and methodical training to maximize efficiency of movements, resulting in a continuous flow of control.
      - Origins of Modern Disciplinary Methods:
        - Distinction from historical forms of domination:
          - Not slavery, which required physical possession.
          - Not simply master-student dynamic but more nuanced and analytical subjugation methods.

Disciplinary Techniques in Society

  • Methodology of Control:
      - Establishing intricate systems of surveillance and order in military and educational contexts:
        - The introduction of rigid architectures in schools and military barracks aimed at confinement and order enforcement.
        - Creation of specific environments that maximize control of individuals and their behaviors in institutions.

Architecture of Surveillance

  • Architectural Control:
      - Development of buildings designed for maximum observation, exemplified by military barracks and hospitals.
      - Emphasis on layout enabling supervision of individuals and achieving control in education, medicine, and military (e.g., the school as a machine for teaching).
        

The Politics of Normalization

  • Normalization and its Effects:
      - Imposition of standards, creating homogeneity in behavior and appearance while fostering individualization through continuous assessment and classification.
      - Implementation of examination systems to inform power dynamics within educational and medical frameworks:
        - Shift from status-driven identity to a normalizing framework that fosters compliance and docility.

Examination as a Technique of Power

  • Functionality of the Examination:
      - Combination of assessment and surveillance via normalized procedures.
      - Establishment of a disciplinary gaze that objectifies individuals and enhances power relations by regulating behaviors and facilitating classification according to aptitude.

  • Ritualization of the Examination:
      - Active process of subjecting individuals to continuous scrutiny marked by rituals, thus intertwining knowledge with power dynamics in the operation of education or medicine.

Conclusion on Discipline and Individuality

  • Shift in Individuality:
      - Individuality transitioned from a product of status and privilege to subjects reduced to objects of scrutiny under disciplinary powers.
      - The continual cycle of training, observation, and correction transforms individuals into docile agents of the state, marked by documentation and classification conducive to systematic control.

Summary by Key Components

  1. The Ideal and Transformation of the Soldier: Recognizable attributes and methodologies evolved through discipline.

  2. Docility as Power Mechanism: The capacity to be shaped into subservient bodies.

  3. Architectures of Surveillance: Specific designs to facilitate continuous observation.

  4. Normalization Techniques: Mechanisms to classify, regulate, and assess individuals.

  5. Examination Methods: Power through normalized judgment and visibility.

  6. The Role of Individuality in Discipline: Shift from individual honor to docility within socio-political systems.