Pre-revolutionary French imprisonment was tainted by its ties to arbitrary royal power
Evidence
Imprisonment was especially disqualified for this role by the fact that it was, in practice, directly bound up with arbitrary royal decision and the excesses of the sovereign power. The ‘maisons de force’, the general hospitals, the ‘king’s orders’ or the orders of the police magistrates, letters under the king’s private seal obtained by notables or by families, constituted a whole repressive practice, juxtaposed with ‘regular justice’ and more usually opposed to it. … Nevertheless, imprisonment was seen, generally speaking, as branded by the abuses of power. — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 193
Categorization
- XREF: Provides the historical obstacle that had to be overcome before imprisonment could become the panopticon’s institutional home — key context for why surveillance-as-punishment emerged when it did. — connects to: Arbitrary royal detention letters were actually demanded by families and local authorities — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 336; Recidivism was explicitly punished under the Ancien Régime — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 492; Colonial assemblies seized self-government from weakened royal authority (+1 more)
Related
- A ruler’s broken amnesty destroyed the last consensual basis for Bourbon legitimacy (similarity 0.87)
- Arbitrary royal detention letters were actually demanded by families and local authorities (similarity 0.85)
Broader Connections
- Recidivism was explicitly punished under the Ancien Régime
#qualifies(0.75) — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 492 - Colonial assemblies seized self-government from weakened royal authority
#expands(0.72)