Surveillance, Technoscience, and Society

From wearable devices that count our steps, to social media platforms that monetize our interactions, to iris scanners at airports and prisons, our world is abundant with objects designed to classify, catalogue, and altogether surveil us. In this class, we apply anthropological perspectives to investigate how systems and sites of surveillance shape what is considered normal, healthy, safe, pathological, dangerous, and deviant throughout the world. In turn, we will explore surveillance as a fruitful lens for thinking about the relationship between science, technology, society, perception, identity, the body, care, control, and power.