A review by casparb
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison by Michel Foucault

4.0

Thank God it's Foucault writing. A powerful examination of exactly what it purports to be, with some impressively clear-sighted direction (we should focus on THIS seemingly-peripheral aspect). Honestly this book could have been really punishing (wordplay?), had it not been Foucault, who writes exceptionally clearly.

I expect D&P is a foundational text for prison abolitionists. It's good to see Foucault critiquing 19th century anarchists for their rather reductive analyses at the time - a necessary manoeuvre.

Much to think about.