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"SocietiesofControl"

GillesDeleuze

1.Historical

Foucaultlocatedthedisciplinarysocietiesintheeighteenthandnineteenthcen

turies;theyreachtheirheightattheoutsetofthetwentieth.Theyinitiatetheorganizationofvastspacesofenclosure.Theindividualneverceasespassingfromoneclosedenvironmenttoanother,eachhavingitsownlaws:firstthefamily;thentheschool("youarenolongerinyourfamily");thenthebarracks("youarenolongeratschool");thenthefactory;fromtimetotimethehospital;possiblytheprison,thepreeminentinstanceoftheenclosedenvironment.It'stheprisonthatservesastheanalogicalmodel:atthesightofsomelaborers,theheroineofRossellini'sEuropa'51couldexclaim,"IthoughtIwasseeingconvicts."

Foucaulthasbrilliantlyanalyzedtheidealprojectoftheseenvironmentsofenclosure,particularlyvisiblewithinthefactory:toconcentrate;todistributei

nspace;toorderintime;tocomposeaproductiveforcewithinthedimensionofspace-timewhoseeffectwillbegreaterthanthesumofitscomponentforces.ButwhatFoucaultrecognizedaswellwasthetransienceofthismodel:itsucceededthatofthesocietiesofsovereignty,thegoalandfunctionsofwhichweresomethingquitedifferent(totaxratherthantoorganizeproduction,toruleondeathratherthantoadministerlife);thetransitiontookplaceovertime,andNapoleonseemedtoeffectthelarge-scaleconversionfromonesocietytotheother.ButintheirturnthedisciplinesunderwentacrisistothebenefitofnewforcesthatweregraduallyinstitutedandwhichacceleratedafterWorldWarII:adisciplinarysocietywaswhatwealreadynolongerwere,whatwehadceasedtobe.

Weareinageneralizedcrisisinrelationtoalltheenvironmentsofenclosure-

-prison,hospital,factory,school,family.Thefamilyisan"interior,"incrisislikeallotherinteriors--scholarly,professional,etc.Theadministrationsinchargeneverceaseannouncingsupposedlynecessaryreforms:toreformschools,toreformindustries,hospitals,thearmedforces,prisons.Buteveryoneknowsthattheseinstitutionsarefinished,whateverthelengthoftheirexpirationperiods.It'sonlyamatterofadministeringtheirlastritesandofkeepingpeopleemployeduntiltheinstallationofthenewforcesknockingatthedoor.Thesearethesocietiesofcontrol,whichareintheprocessofreplacingdisciplinarysocieties."Control"isthenameBurroughsproposesasatermforthenewmonster,onethatFoucaultrecognizesasourimmediatefuture.PaulVirilioalsoiscontinuallyanalyzingtheultrarapidformsoffree-floatingcontrolthatreplacedtheolddisciplinesoperatinginthetimeframeofaclosedsystem.Thereisno

needtoinvoketheextraordinarypharmaceuticalproductions,themolecularengineering,thegeneticmanipulations,althoughtheseareslatedtoenterthenewprocess.Thereisnoneedtoaskwhichisthetoughestregime,forit'swithineachofthemthatliberatingandenslavingforcesconfrontoneanother.Forexample,inthecrisisofthehospitalasenvironmentofenclosure,neighborhoodclinics,hospices,anddaycarecouldatfirstexpressnewfreedom,buttheycouldparticipateaswellinmechanismsofcontrolthatareequaltotheharshestofconfinements.Thereisnoneedtofearorhope,butonlytolookfornewweapons.

2.Logic

Thedifferentinternmentsofspacesofenclosurethroughwhichtheindividualpassesareindependentvariables:eachtimeoneussupposedtostartfromzero,an

dalthoughacommonlanguageforalltheseplacesexists,itisanalogical.Onetheotherhand,thedifferentcontrolmechanismsareinseparablevariations,formingasystemofvariablegeometrythelanguageofwhichisnumerical(whichdoe

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sn'tnecessarilymeanbinary).Enclosuresaremolds,distinctcastings,butcontrolsareamodulation,likeaself-deformingcastthatwillcontinuouslychangefromonemomenttotheother,orlikeasievewhosemeshwilltransmutefrompointtopoint.

Thisisobviousinthematterofsalaries:thefactorywasabodythatcontaineditsinternalforcesatthelevelofequilibrium,thehighestpossibleinterms

ofproduction,thelowestpossibleintermsofwages;butinasocietyofcontrol,thecorporationhasreplacedthefactory,andthecorporationisaspirit,agas.Ofcoursethefactorywasalreadyfamiliarwiththesystemofbonuses,butthecorporationworksmoredeeplytoimposeamodulationofeachsalary,instatesofperpetualmetastabilitythatoperatethroughchallenges,contests,andhighlycomicgroupsessions.Ifthemostidiotictelevisiongameshowsaresosuccessful,it'sbecausetheyexpressthecorporatesituationwithgreatprecision.Thefactoryconstitutedindividualsasasinglebodytothedoubleadvantageofthebosswhosurveyedeachelementwithinthemassandtheunionswhomobilizedamassresistance;butthecorporationconstantlypresentsthebrashestrivalryasahealthyformofemulation,anexcellentmotivationalforcethatopposesindividualsagainstoneanotherandrunsthrougheach,dividingeachwithin.Themod

ulatingprincipleof"salaryaccordingtomerit"hasnotfailedtotemptnationaleducationitself.Indeed,justasthecorporationreplacesthefactory,perpetualtrainingtendstoreplacetheschool,andcontinuouscontroltoreplacetheexamination.Whichisthesurestwayofdeliveringtheschoolovertothecorporation.

Inthedisciplinarysocietiesonewasalwaysstartingagain(fromschooltothebarracks,fromthebarrackstothefactory),whileinthesocietiesofcontroloneisneverfinishedwithanything--thecorporation,theeducationalsystem,thearmedservicesbeingmetastablestatescoexistinginoneandthesamemodulation,likeauniversalsystemofdeformation.InTheTrial,Kafka,whohadalreadyplacedhimselfatthepivotalpointbetweentwotypesofsocialformation,describedthemostfearsomeofjudicialforms.Theapparentacquittalofthediscipli

narysocieties(betweentwoincarcerations);andthelimitlesspostponementsofthesocietiesofcontrol(incontinuousvariation)aretwoverydifferentmodesofjuridiciallife,andifourlawishesitant,itselfincrisis,it'sbecauseweareleavingoneinordertoentertheother.Thedisciplinarysocietieshavetwopoles:thesignaturethatdesignatestheindividual,andthenumberoradministrativenumerationthatindicateshisorherpositionwithinamass.Thisisbecausethedisciplinesneversawanyincompatibilitybetweenthesetwo,andbecauseatthesametimepowerindividualizesandmassestogether,thatis,constitutesthoseoverwhomitexercisespowerintoabodyandmoldstheindividualityofeachmemberofthatbody.(Foucaultsawtheoriginofthisdoublechargeinthepastoralpowerofthepriest--theflockandeachofitsanimals--butcivilpowermovesinturnandbyothermeanstomakeitselflay"priest.")Inthesocietiesofcontrol,ontheotherhand,whatisimportantisnolongereitherasignatureoranumber,butacode:thecodeisapassword,whileontheotherhanddisciplinarysocietiesareregulatedbywatchwords(asmuchfromthepointofviewofintegrationasfromthatofresistance).Thenumericallanguageofcontrolismadeofcodesthatmarkaccesstoinformation,orrejectit.Wenolongerfindourselvesdealingwiththemass/individualpair.Individualshavebecome"dividuals,"andmasses,samples,data,markets,or"banks."Perhapsitismoneythatexpressesthedistinctionbetweenthetwosocietiesbest,sincedisciplinealwaysreferredbacktomintedmoneythatlocksgoldasnumericalstandard,whilecontrolrelatestofloatingratesofexchange,modulatedaccordingtoarateestablishedbyasetofstandardcurrencies.Theoldmonetarymoleistheanimalofthespaceofenclosure,buttheserpentisthatofthesocietiesofcontrol.Wehavepassedfromoneanimaltotheother,fromthemoletotheserpent,inthesyste

munderwhichwelive,butalsoinourmanneroflivingandinourrelationswithothers.Thedisciplinarymanwasadiscontinuousproducerofenergy,butthemanofcontrolisundulatory,inorbit,inacontinuousnetwork.Everywheresurfi

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nghasalreadyreplacedtheoldersports.

Typesofmachinesareeasilymatchedwitheachtypeofsociety--notthatmachinesaredetermining,butbecausetheyexpressthosesocialformscapableofgeneratingthemandusingthem.Theoldsocietiesofsovereigntymadeuseofsimplemachines--levers,pulleys,clocks;buttherecentdisciplinarysocietiesequippedthemselveswithmachinesinvolvingenergy,withthepassivedangerofentropyan

dtheactivedangerofsabotage;thesocietiesofcontroloperatewithmachinesofathirdtype,computers,whosepassivedangerisjammingandwhoseactiveoneispiracyortheintroductionofviruses.Thistechnologicalevolutionmustbe,evenmoreprofoundly,amutationofcapitalism,analreadywell-knownorfamiliarmutationthatcanbesummedupasfollows:nineteenth-centurycapitalismisacapitalismofconcentration,forproductionandforproperty.Itthereforeerectsafactoryasaspaceofenclosure,thecapitalistbeingtheownerofthemeansofproductionbutalso,progressively,theownerofotherspacesconceivedthroughanalogy(theworker'sfamilialhouse,theschool).Asformarkets,theyareconqueredsometimesbyspecialization,sometimesbycolonization,sometimesbyloweringthecostsofproduction.Butinthepresentsituation,capitalismisnolongerinvolvedinproduction,whichitoftenrelegatestotheThirdWorld,eve

nforthecomplexformsoftextiles,metallurgy,oroilproduction.It'sacapitalismofhigher-orderproduction.Itno-longerbuysrawmaterialsandnolongersellsthefinishedproducts:itbuysthefinishedproductsorassemblesparts.Whatitwantstosellisservicesbutwhatitwantstobuyisstocks.Thisisnolongeracapitalismforproductionbutfortheproduct,whichistosay,forbeingsoldormarketed.Thusisessentiallydispersive,andthefactoryhasgivenwaytothecorporation.Thefamily,theschool,thearmy,thefactoryarenolongerthedistinctanalogicalspacesthatconvergetowardsanowner--stateorprivatepower--butcodedfigures--deformableandtransformable--ofasinglecorporationthatnowhasonlystockholders.Evenarthasleftthespacesofenclosureinordertoenterintotheopencircuitsofthebank.Theconquestsofthemarketaremadebygrabbingcontrolandnolongerbydisciplinarytraining,byfixingtheexchangeratemuchmorethanbyloweringcosts,bytransformationoftheprodu

ctmorethanbyspecializationofproduction.Corruptiontherebygainsanewpower.Marketinghasbecomethecenterorthe"soul"ofthecorporation.Wearetaughtthatcorporationshaveasoul,whichisthemostterrifyingnewsintheworld.Theoperationofmarketsisnowtheinstrumentofsocialcontrolandformstheimpudentbreedofourmasters.Controlisshort-termandofrapidratesofturnover,butalsocontinuousandwithoutlimit,whiledisciplinewasoflongduration,infiniteanddiscontinuous.Manisnolongermanenclosed,butmanindebt.Itistruethatcapitalismhasretainedasaconstanttheextremepovertyofthree-quartersofhumanity,toopoorfordebt,toonumerousforconfinement:controlwillnotonlyhavetodealwitherosionsoffrontiersbutwiththeexplosionswithinshantytownsorghettos.

3.Program

Theconceptionofacontrolmechanism,givingthepositionofanyelementwithinanopenenvironmentatanygiveninstant(whetheranimalinareserveorhumaninacorporation,aswithanelectroniccollar),isnotnecessarilyoneofsciencefiction.FlixGuattarihasimaginedacitywhereonewouldbeabletoleaveone'sapartment,one'sstreet,one'sneighborhood,thankstoone's(dividual)electroniccardthatraisesagivenbarrier;butthecardcouldjustaseasilyberejectedonagivendayorbetweencertainhours;whatcountsisnotthebarrierbutthecomputerthattrackseachperson'sposition--licitorillicit--andeffectsauniversalmodulation.

Thesocio-technologicalstudyofthemechanismsofcontrol,graspedattheirinc

eption,wouldhavetobecategoricalandtodescribewhatisalreadyintheprocessofsubstitutionforthedisciplinarysitesofenclosure,whosecrisisiseverywhereproclaimed.Itmaybethatoldermethods,borrowedfromtheformersocie

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tiesofsovereignty,willreturntothefore,butwiththenecessarymodifications.Whatcountsisthatweareatthebeginningofsomething.Intheprisonsystem:theattempttofindpenaltiesof"substitution,"atleastforpettycrimes,andtheuseofelectroniccollarsthatforcetheconvictedpersontostayathomeduringcertainhours.Fortheschoolsystem:continuousformsofcontrol,andtheeffectontheschoolofperpetualtraining,thecorrespondingabandonmentofalluniversityresearch,theintroductionofthe"corporation"atalllevelsof

schooling.Forthehospitalsystem:thenewmedicine"withoutdoctororpatient"thatsinglesoutpotentialsickpeopleandsubjectsatrisk,whichinnowayatteststoindividuation--astheysay--butsubstitutesfortheindividualornumericalbodythecodeofa"dividual"materialtobecontrolled.Inthecorporatesystem:newwaysofhandlingmoney,profits,andhumansthatnolongerpassthroughtheoldfactoryform.Theseareverysmallexamples,butonesthatwillallowforbetterunderstandingofwhatismeantbythecrisisoftheinstitutions,whichistosay,theprogressiveanddispersedinstallationofanewsystemofdomination.Oneofthemostimportantquestionswillconcerntheineptitudeoftheunions:tiedtothewholeoftheirhistoryofstruggleagainstthedisciplinesorwithinthespacesofenclosure,willtheybeabletoadaptthemselvesorwilltheygivewaytonewformsofresistanceagainstthesocietiesofcontrol?Can

wealreadygrasptheroughoutlinesofthecomingforms,capableofthreateningthejoysofmarketing?Manyyoungpeoplestrangelyboastofbeing"motivated";theyre-requestapprenticeshipsandpermanenttraining.It'suptothemtodiscoverwhatthey'rebeingmadetoserve,justastheireldersdiscovered,notwithoutdifficulty,thetelosofthedisciplines.Thecoilsofaserpentareevenmorecomplexthattheburrowsofamolehill.