Foucault

Michel Foucault’s article from Discipline and Punish relates very well with Louis Althusser’s and Karl Marx’s concepts of ideology. Both Althusser and Marx believe there is ‘ruling class’ or bourgeoisie. These theorists introduce the idea of a culture’s populace being controlled by certain ideas and values that are created by few, yet rule the many. These cultural ideas and norms are identified as the society’s ideology. The primary relation between Althusser’s ideology and Foucault’s essay is the notion of control or ruling. Foucault talks about the architectural concept of Panopticon. Panopticon was created as a form of jail, in which prisoners could always be watched. In mates were monitored, even if they did not know it. This allows the guards to maintain power at all times. In a sense, the guards of these prisons are acting as an ideology. They are enforcing the rules and norms of the prison, even when the prisoners themselves are unaware of their presence.
Foucault relates the prison architecture to cultures and societies by comparing this overlooking concept to schools, hospitals, and other institutions. This again relates to Althusser and his terminology ISA and RSA. The ISA and RSA institutions enforce ideologies within a culture on an everyday basis. Foucault believes these institutions act as the guards of our culture. Ever watching, enforcing, and reiterating the ideologies without the knowledge of the general populace. These groups break the culture up, allowing it to be easier to control and enforce rules throughout the entire society. It is more effective for a government or culture to maintain dominance by evading everyday life, then it would be to try and control a mass amount of people from one isolated area.
Althussser speaks of Ideology and Foucault speaks of dominance, but in the end both examine how popular ideals obtain and maintain control over societies.