Document Type
Theses, Ph.D
Rights
This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only
Disciplines
5.4 SOCIOLOGY, Sociology, Demography, Anthropology, Social topics, 5.8 MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS, Media and socio-cultural communication
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to explore the ramifications of surveillance by comparing aspects of the surveilled states of the GDR and NI during the 1970sand 1980s and their effects. This study will focus on the historical techniques and commonalties exploited by both states, exploringthe influential factors underlying the acceptance of surveillance, along with their impact on individual stakeholders, communities and societies. Foucault,who plays a key role in the theoretical framework of this thesis, in Discipline and Punishprovides ananalysis of Jeremy Bentham’s panopticonsuggests, in which he perceivedthe constant threat of surveillance has an altering effect on individual behaviour, surveillanceas Foucault argues:‘becomes an internalized disciplinary mechanism that is embedded in social structures and evokes self-regulation’ (Foucault,1979,p.15)Current studies have yet to determinewhat impact these surveillance practices will have on the way we function, both as a society and a communities and what influence it will have on the way we interact and communicate with each other.
Recommended Citation
Pierce, C. (2020) Examining the Impact and Influence of Government Surveillance on East German and Northern Ireland Communities During the 1970s and 1980s, Doctoral Thesis, Technological University Dublin. DOI:10.21427/VERG-D859
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/VERG-D859
Publication Details
Successfully submitted for the award of PhD.