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Associationalism and Panopticism

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Associationalism and Panopticism Associationalism and Panopticism in have important implications for the Jews, a American Democracy: An Analysis minority that frequently has politics organized against them. Associationalism of Jewish Power gives Jews access to political power but also Daniel Ramey subjects them to panoptic oversight, where Junior, History & Economics their behavior is made to assimilate to a certain collective American standard. The Power in a democracy is never Jewish people have historically exercised stable. By its very nature, democracy invites political power disproportionally to their challenges to those who wield power in it. size in the US, such as during the second But its system of power distribution is wave of American socialism before World lasting. How modern liberal democracies War II, because of their powerful create durable governments has been a associations. much-studied question. In particular, the subject of how the majority and minority One of the most important elements access and respond to power is of interest. of American democracy is associationalism. In Tocqueville’s acclaimed book Democracy Alexis de Tocqueville was one of the first to ​ in America, he finds associations to be study the political structure of the United ​ States and strongly believed necessary for democracy to flourish. He associationalism was the key to stabilizing defines associations as any visible collective democracy. Through creating associations, with shared beliefs that joins together to promote the spread of these beliefs.1 political groups can attempt to increase their ​ ranks enough to become the majority over Associations can take many forms and time, removing the need for violent promote many causes, not just political. upheaval. Tocqueville’s associationalism They solve the crux of the democratic becomes even more powerful when system: how power is exercised. Tocqueville combined with Michel Foucault’s idea of writes that in democracies “all the citizens panoptic power. Foucault believed modern are independent and feeble; they can do societies create panopticons to discipline hardly anything by themselves, and none of citizens, using surveillance, normalization, them can oblige his fellow-men to lend him and examination to make power more their assistance. They all, therefore, fall into sustainable. Both mechanisms are means to a state of incapacity, if they do not learn 2 voluntarily to help each other.” ​ Individual create secure power structures that make ​ people feel free, and when united create an citizens are powerless unless they can interesting theory of democratic power. convince others to join their cause. This Democracies rely on panoptic power to means that for associations to be powerful, create good citizens and righteous they must have a significant number of government, which employs associations as members. The implication of this is that a tool to control citizens. These associations democracies are ruled by majorities. As a result, associations also work to take power inmates. Cells are equipped with two large away from the majority. windows, one for the guard to see though and the other to provide backlight. Each Associations with minority beliefs prisoner is rendered perfectly visible to the demonstrate their resources and try to guard but cannot see fellow prisoners or the increase their membership to syphon power guard itself. Because each prisoner knows from the majority. Indeed, Tocqueville he is visible to the central tower, he acts as if found that minorities “always entertain being under constant surveillance, regardless hopes of drawing over their opponents to 4 if the guard is actually present. ​ The point of their own side, and of afterwards disposing ​ this design is, as Foucault explains it, to 3 of the supreme power in their name.” ​ If ​ “arrange things that the surveillance is political associations always have the permanent in its effects, even if it is chance of becoming the majority, and discontinuous in its action; that the universal suffrage ensures that every citizen perfection of power should tend to render its can exercise political power, then there is no 5 actual exercise unnecessary.” ​ Panoptic need for violent disruption. Power structures ​ structures of power are any system that are maintained by the employ of achieves these results. The three prongs of associationalism, even if those in power are this system are surveillance, normalization, replaced. By layering Foucault’s theory of and examination. Constant surveillance panoptic power with associationalism, it results in the prisoners always behaving as if becomes even more clear how democracies they are being watched. This encourages the maintain order and distribute power. But prisoners to behave like “good” prisoners to first, it is important to understand how avoid punishment, creating normalization. panopticons apply to modern government. People who wield power then examine Panopticons are a useful structure for whether the correct norms are being investing power in an instrument rather than followed and alert prisoners how to adjust a single person. In a democracy, people are their behavior. This system has applications supposed to govern themselves, but this far beyond prisons. In Foucault’s theory, the requires self-imposed discipline. Michel panopticon is “a figure of political Foucault analyses how modern societies can technology that may and must be detached 6 from any specific use.” ​ Any institution that achieve effective discipline in his book ​ Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the seeks to create self-imposed model behavior Prison. Foucault believed that visibility was can develop a panopticon. In the US, ​ the key to creating a system of power that panopticism is used to imbue democratic could automatically maintain itself. He institutions with power rather than a single points to the panopticon as the perfect person or party. architecture to install discipline. A American democracy depends on panopticon is a form of prison where a guard panopticism to create a just government, and from a central tower can see into all of the associationalism is an apparatus designed to Otherwise, its members are locked out of aid this practice. Both Tocqueville and political power, back under the surveillance Foucault identified that in aristocratic of the majority. Just like how Foucault nations, the elite were in the position to envisioned that any person could look at the check power and discipline people. Because panopticon and judge the surveillance, all the elite were the only authority, they could Americans can see the functioning of their devolve into tyranny and were subject to panopticon and determine if it needs violent overthrow. Democracies would be adjusting. When the possibility of tyranny is susceptible to the same problems of tyranny found, new laws or amendments can be and instability—even more vulnerable to proposed to fix the system of power. Term them than aristocracies—without the limits, separation of powers, and existence of panoptic power. One can see adjustments to checks and balances protect through Tocqueville’s writings on the US democracy. Since Foucault’s associations the existence of surveillance, panopticon and Tocqueville’s definition of normalization, and examination. Anytime an associations are both flexible, joining their individual or small association goes against theories of power is possible without the larger will of society, it can be assured inconsistencies. There is no one model of that an association of the majority opinion panoptic power nor one standard can form to oppose it. This act of association. They are each simply methods surveillance ensures that citizens follow the of organization. Citizens that excel at social norms of the majority. Tocqueville creating strong associations, like the Jews, provides an example, writing that “the are able to thrive better in the panopticon children in their games are wont to submit to than others in the minority. rules which they have themselves Jews have been more adept than established, and to punish misdemeanors 7 average at forming associations and as a which they have themselves defined.” ​ Any ​ result exercise a disproportionate amount of individual child that would go against the political power in the US. For centuries, the rules can count on the other children joining Jewish community existed as a diaspora together to punish them, resulting in their people. Without a sovereign nation, Jews own self-discipline. Associations act as the adapted and formed a supranational guard in the central tower of the panopticon, religious organization. By utilizing a system the citizens as the prisoners. Through this of scripture and recognizing religious practice surveillance and normalization leaders, they formed their own collective occur. Examination happens when citizens that withstood a lack of formal political form associations in the attempt to gain power in Europe. As political theorist political power. If the doctrine of the Michael Walzer writes in the first volume of association is judged by society to be his series The Jewish Political Tradition, the aligned with social norms, it gains more ​ ​ Jews “made political choices about the members and consequently political power. distribution of power and influence; they perceived to be under threat, then diversity developed and even enforced a set of laws, is no longer tolerated. Jewish immigrants taxed their members for the sake of security, were well acquainted with balancing societal
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