EDB172 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Episteme, Individuation
Social Governance and Schooling
Lecture
How the past differs from contemporary society
• No longer based around sovereign rule
o Previously no constant governance, executions reinforcement of sovereign power
o No 'welfare of the people'
• Society was undifferentiated; no individuality, has only developed recently
o People were parts of communities
• A large number of aspects shape individuality e.g. health, intelligence
• A change of 'episteme' (system of understanding and knowledge)
The structure of modern institutions
• Hierarchical observation
o We're a society based on continual surveillance
• Normalising judgement
• Particular kinds of institutions constructed based around surveillance, regulation,
management and governance come out into society
• Threefold process:
o Individuation
• sat in rows and columns, given a number
• locate in space and time
o Differentiation
• Assess
o Normalisation
• Intervene
What is normality?
• Paradoiall…. That hih is atural, that hih ust e orked at
• Shapes what we think natural is
• Provides a reason for intervention when 'real' life differs from these norms
• Normalisation can be more problematic than believed to be
Assessment
1. Assesset is a ruial opoet of oder goeret, hoeer…
2. Assessment is never neutral;
3. Assessment is about authority
• Knowledge is always constructed within particular context
o Culture spills into it
Psychology and the Government of the 'Inner Self'
Conclusion
• We now live in a disciplinary society
• Schools exemplify this type of logic/organisation, indeed they were one of its main points of
origin
• Even those areas of schooling which seem to be free of government intervention
(kindergartens, playground, subjective experience of pupils) are closely and effectively
managed
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Document Summary
How the past differs from contemporary society: no longer based around sovereign rule, previously no constant governance, executions reinforcement of sovereign power, no "welfare of the people" Society was undifferentiated; no individuality, has only developed recently: people were parts of communities, a large number of aspects shape individuality e. g. health, intelligence, a change of "episteme" (system of understanding and knowledge) The structure of modern institutions: hierarchical observation, we"re a society based on continual surveillance, normalising judgement, particular kinds of institutions constructed based around surveillance, regulation, management and governance come out into society, threefold process: Individuation sat in rows and columns, given a number locate in space and time: differentiation, assess, normalisation. Shapes what we think natural is: parado(cid:454)i(cid:272)all(cid:455) . That (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h is (cid:374)atural, that (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h (cid:373)ust (cid:271)e (cid:449)orked at: provides a reason for intervention when "real" life differs from these norms, normalisation can be more problematic than believed to be.
