《规训与惩罚》的混淆:试论规训权力的“前现代”性质

A Confusion in Discipline and Punish:On the Archaism of Disciplinary Power

什么是规训?或者说,当福柯使用这个术语的时候他想说的是什么?对于《规训与惩罚》一书的读者来说,这一直以来都构成了阅读的核心关切。但很难说福柯对"规训"始终有一个一贯的和一致的定义。实际情况是,在《规训与惩罚》出版以后的很长一段时间里,福柯仍然在反复斟酌和重新确立"规训"概念的含义和定位。

This article attempts to provide a reflection upon the important notion"discipline"coined by French philosopher Michel Foucault.So as to do this the major works of Foucault including Discipline and Punish and his series of lectures given at the College de France around the time he was writing Discipline and Punish are examined.The main assertion of this article is that the latter half of Discipline and Punish muddles discipline,a formation of power which belongs to the classic era in the history of western societies and the governmental style of modern societies that gradually emerged at the end of the 18th century and through the 19th century.The former is situated on the same historical-archeological plane with the discourses of 18th century penal reformers and corrective technologies while also structurally identical to western episteme of the classic era;there exists a profound historical transformation and rupture between the later and the former.Hence,instead of being an outcome of disciplinary power,themes such as Panopticism and delinquency discussed in the last part of the book should in fact be seen as the expression of a new governmental style which finds its objects in the exterior essence and outer conditions of the rational subject and its basis in an objective domain of knowledge independent of the space of representations and the mind.In summary,discipline is not actually a"modem"form of power but part of the pre-history of modern societies.