Response: Foucault’s “Security Territory Population

Based on the framework offered by Foucault, I believe generally the global response to the COVID-19 epidemic is the mix of all three: Sovereignty, Discipline, and Security. Discipline is framed and imposed by sovereignty since it is the abstract control of the body and space (and assured by security also instated by sovereignty) that has been taught by society and social standards to follow the rules. Because at the same time, people are scared of catching the disease and auto-discipline themselves in confinement. Sovereign power still remains in tension with disciplinary power. Since sovereignty today is our political sovereignty, that lost its power in modern time, it has a role to “protects” the people of its respective territory, it asks of us to be disciplined and auto-confine ourself, and if not, there would be repercussions (assured by security). Security wouldn’t work and only depends on the lack of discipline. Discipline is simply one way in which power can be exercised. Without discipline, there would anarchy, and in anarchy, there would be no hierarchy thus no sovereignty. Without sovereignty, there would be, based on text, no division of space. By confining, we create more space between each other in hopes to minimize the disease. It definitely changed the urbanscape, since dedicated work sectors are being abandoned, and residential sectors are packed. We definitely see the lack of discipline in poorer areas towards confinement, and many are still going to work, but because of the nature of their professions that are blue-collar professions and currently indispensable. In Paris, the sovereignty (government) is relying on our auto discipline but also relies on security for the confinement to be really working. Security has a new role of making us feel unsafe outside, which changes the relationship of the urban dynamic, and the role of the security that has initially the role to keep a safe environment in the urban space by making sure we follow the usual laws pre-confinement. By making us feel unsafe outside social distancing and auto-confinement, we face different suppression from different powers.

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