Surveillance and Identity: Discourse, Subjectivity and the State

by David Barnard-Wills

Overview

Surveillance and Identity analyses the discourse of surveillance in the contemporary United Kingdom, drawing upon public language from central government, governmental agencies, activist movements, finance and banking and the news media. Examining the logics of these discourses and revealing the manner in which they construct problems of governance in the light of the insecurity of identity, this book shows how identity is fundamentally linked to surveillance, as governmental discourses privilege surveillance as a response to social problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409495055
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	01/28/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

David Barnard-Wills is Research Fellow in the Department of Informatics and Sensors at Cranfield University, UK

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements; Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Surveillance, Governmentality, Identity and Discourse; Chapter 3 Discourse Theory and Analysis; Chapter 4 Representation of Surveillance Practices; Chapter 5 Subjectivity and Subject Positions in Discourses of Surveillance; Chapter 6 Identity in Discourses of Surveillance; Chapter 7 Conclusions and Implications;

Editorial Reviews

'These carefully selected fascinating case studies allow Barnard-Wills to chart the connections between emergent forms of identity, new technologies and governmental projects. The result is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the contemporary politics of surveillance.' Kevin D. Haggerty, University of Alberta, Canada '[This book] provides a rigorous methodological standard to draw upon. Barnard-Wills justifies the applicability of discourse analysis against its critics. The book provides guidance for those researching problematic concepts; the author examines ’surveillance’ via its contestations to enable the concept to become identifiable... Barnard-Wills makes a crucial intervention...' Political Studies Review '... offers a perfect combination of discourse theory and actual text analysis. ... the combination of theories of governmentality, surveillance and discourse theories makes it logically cohesive and thought provoking. Structurally, the book is well organized, with an introductory chapter that outlines the main content of the research and a concluding chapter that presents its theoretical as well as its practical implications. This book will be of great help to researchers of public discourse and communication, identity, surveillance and the relationship between the individual and the state.' Discourse Studies 'Not only does Surveillance and Identity provide a detailed literature review as well as empirical analysis of the discourses of surveillance, but it also shows how the representation of surveillance differs in public and academic discourses ... Overall, Surveillance and Identity is an invaluable resource for researchers working in the field of language and identity, as it provides inspiration for the investigation of discourse, subjectivity and the state in other contexts.' Discourse and Communication

From the Publisher