In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault explores how the prison system uses methods such as “constant coercion” to exert “an infinitesimal power over the active body” of the individual, allowing for “the meticulous control of the operations of the body” and “assur[ing] the constant subjection of its forces and … a relation of docility-utility” (181). Like the prison system, contemporary popular films deploy the disciplinary tactics referenced by Foucault, resulting in the formation of docile bodies of both characters and viewers. By applying the concepts within Discipline and Punish—particularly the chapters “Docile Bodies” and “The Means of Correct Training”—to the popular film Kindergarten Cop (1990) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, this paper explores the connections not only between the prison and education systems, but the way in which films—and the process of viewing films—creates docile bodies. Just as Foucault argues that “Disciplinary power … is exercised through invisibility” (199), this film’s categorization as a comedy likewise contributes to the training of bodies because of its illusion as an innocuous, unrealistic, and, therefore, invisible space. While this link between disciplinary systems and the entertainment industry show that such methods of training reach farther than what Foucault discusses, film has the added dimension of an intended audience, making Foucault’s disciplinary tactics—particularly with regard to surveillance—doubly effective since viewers are vicariously subjected to the same methods of discipline as the characters themselves. This paper highlights the connections not only between these two works, but also emphasizes the often subtle, yet continual force that mediums of popular culture exert upon individuals, much like the institutional systems examined by Foucault.
About the presenterTaya Jean Sazama
Taya Sazama holds a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from the University of Sioux Falls and an M.A. from the University of St. Thomas. She taught high school English for four years before beginning her Ph.D. in Critical Literary Studies at the University of South Dakota. She is now in her second year, specializing in 18th and 19th century British Literature. Her research interests also include feminist theory, pop culture, and contemporary international literature.