SOC205H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Post-Structuralism, Governmentality, Panopticon
Document Summary
Post-structuralism is a movement that emerged in philosophy, art, and literature in france in the 1960s. it is a reaction to structuralism in the sense that everything is constructed, but there is some underlying true structure. Social science tries to find the underlying structure by being as objective as much as possible. This is not possible, however because meaning is contingent or dependent on reader. Therefore, social structures are the reflection of people"s perspectives and not a neutral social structure. In its application to criminology, crime is neither a simple violation of normal law nor an objective fact that can be discovered using the scientific method. Crime can only exist because its definition is in existence. Post- structural criminology builds on marxist/critical theories but extends them. It goes further through the use of laws to repress and dominate; discipline; reinforce; wealth, inequality and capitalism. Lived through psychiatrists trying to treat his homosexuality as an illness that as causing his other problems.
