Breaking Bodies Into Pieces: Time, Torture and Bio-Power

Abstract

This article is an attempt to comprehend the bureaucratic phenomenon of the deathwatch, the last 24 hours of a prisoner's life, stressing the theoretical applications scholars can make to the study of docile bodies on death row. Because years of work are necessary to obtain obedience from condemned inmates, health care professionals lend more than an aura of legitimacy to the capital punishment process. As an integral part of the prison and capital punishment, they provide stability, reliability, and the means to achieve the goals of peaceful executions. The ultimate objective of utilizing health care professionals is the sanitization of penal practice and penal language to effect the complete absence of resistance from the condemned.

Managing nurses through disciplinary power: a Foucauldian analysis of workplace violence

“…Surveillance, control and the use of disciplinary tactics are omnipresent in many social institutions that have merged nicely into the prevailing idea of surveillance in postmodern society (Federman & Holmes 2005). It is important to be aware of the continuous presence of surveillance, control and discipline as part of the constitution of the workplace.…”

Con Mis Hijos No Te Metas: un estudio de discurso y poder en un grupo de Facebook peruano opuesto a la «ideología de género»

“…Foucault consideraba su trabajo sobre el poder pastoral aún como un bosquejo (Foucault, 2007, p. 135) y admitió que podría haberse equivocado al afirmar que el siglo XVIII vio el fin del poder pastoral, porque este persistió como una «organización y modo de funcionamiento» (Foucault, 2007, p. 148). Trabajos recientes han usado este concepto para entender los fenómenos contemporáneos que no necesariamente se refieren a autoridades religiosas institucionales [por ejemplo, el poder ejercido por asesores genéticos (Rose, 2007), trabajadores médicos en prisiones (Federman y Holmes, 2005)…”

Untitled

“…The prison environment compounds the tensions many women feel in relation to medicine, a discipline that, like the prison, has disproportionate power and influence over individuals. [48,49] Indeed, medical services within correctional facilities blur the boundaries between health care and punishment. [48] Cheryl, aged 54, describes herself as prematurely aging, stating "I feel like I'm 60."…”

“…[48,49] Indeed, medical services within correctional facilities blur the boundaries between health care and punishment. [48] Cheryl, aged 54, describes herself as prematurely aging, stating "I feel like I'm 60." She discussed some of her health problems:…”