Modernity Continued

Foucault argued that discourse is made up of a body of knowledge about a particular subject and the rules or practices that regulate what can be spoken about the subject during a specific time period. As our knowledge about the subject changes, so does our discourse and the rules that regulate what we say. Foucault's idea of discourse helps us talk about visual culture because our rhetoric is made up of the knowledge we have (past, present or future).

Foucault's concept of the panopticon is that we self-regulate as a response to surveillance, real or implied. Foucault gave the example of the panopticon prison structure which gave prisoners the feeling that they were constantly under the watch of a guard and in turn made them afraid to act out. Foucault believed that society is structured on this relationship between the power of the spectator and the knowledge of the subject. This relates to visual rhetoric and culture because we are all aware of the surveillance cameras around us and this implied gaze keeps us under control.

Sturken and Cartwright give several examples of how subjects subvert their relationship with the gaze which indicates a transformation in traditional gender roles. The artist Ana Mendieta photographed several outlines of her body in different settings which removed herself from the gaze, leaving behind only an imprint. The example of the film, Thelma & Louise shows the subjects photographing themselves, again giving the subject the control. They also hold the role of spectator as they gaze at a hitchhiker. Where men once almost exclusively held the role of spectator in relation to popular culture, women now have an equal role.