The Objectification Of The Subject

Starting from the deep comprehension of the modern power depicted in Discipline and Punish,this thesis focuses on the elaboration of the documentary writing to which Foucault does not pay much attention,and inquires the objectification of the Subject brought about by the process of documentary writing and its products.Discipline and Punish is considered to be the best work that Michel Foucault has ever composed,which deals with his theories on modern power.In Discipline and Punish,apart from his investigation into the productive disciplinary power,Foucault puts forward three methods of correct training which are also effective ways of objectification: hierarchical observation,normalizing judgement and the examination,and demonstrates the examination as the most significant method for it is the combination of hierarchical observation and normalizing judgement.He further mentions that the examination is surrounded by plenty of documentary techniques which make individuals into “cases” to study—which is exactly the process of objectification of the Subject.Those archives and records composed and produced by these documentary techniques turn individuals into analyzable data and provide the materials and evidence for the following practice of examination: to measure the capabilities and gaps between individuals and the norm,and to take measures to narrow the gaps.It is fair to say that documentary writing is essential to the objectification and thus the success of the mechanism of discipline.So it is of great value to look into the documentary writing,analyze the process and the products of documentary writing in discipline power and study how the process and products realize the objectification of the Subject.So in this thesis,the author sets two tasks: to elaborate the process of documentary writing that Foucault doesn't elaborate in Discipline and Punish,and analyzes the objectification of the Subject in documentary writing.Based on those tasks,the author further raises three questions(1.How is documentary writing operated under the disciplinary power? 2.What are the roles of people who write and are written? And how do their roles contribute to their own objectification? 3.What are the traits of the products of documentary writing? And how do they realize the objectification of the Subject?),and searches for answers to these questions using the method of close reading,comparison and description.Through the analysis into documentary writing and its products,it can be concluded:(1)Documentary writing is essential in turning the Subject into objects and providing the materials and evidence of objects for examination and analyses,and the procedure of documentary can be summarized into the circulation of four steps,the stipulation of codes,the placement of the writing and the written,the transcription of individuals' behaviors or conducts into archives and records,and the examination;(2)Individuals in documentary writing are divided into the writing and the written according to the tasks assigned by power.The writing are ranked according to their knowledge,and have to go through strict training to be objective;everyone who finishes the registration is individual being written,no matter what identity he is offered;and the tricks of visibility in which the written are always visible while the writing is not lead to the self-regulation of individuals;however,no matter what role the individual plays,he still bears the identity of objects to be written and transcribed;even the role of the writing have no possession of subjectivity.(3)The most obvious trait of the archive is objectivity and the objectification of the Subject in archives and records lies in the dissection of bodies,the freezing of personal times and the arbitrary distribution of bodies.In the meantime,the archives also grants individuals limited subjectivity by giving identities to individuals.