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Surveillance and Moral Community Anthropologies of Monitoring in Germany and Br...
Surveillance—the mediated monitoring of human behaviour for some intended purpose—has become part of the structure of European life. As ubiquitous monitoring technologies transform every new relationship that they mediate, there i... Surveillance—the mediated monitoring of human behaviour for some intended purpose—has become part of the structure of European life. As ubiquitous monitoring technologies transform every new relationship that they mediate, there is grave concern that the social gains of past centuries will be lost, as states and large corporations use these technologies to expand and entrench their own power. Scholars of surveillance have been following these developments since the 1970s, but recently have faced the paradox that most surveillance now takes place with the active collaboration of the surveilled. Moreover, the enthusiasm for self-monitoring popularized through smart technologies has been met by many surveillance scholars with bewilderment. Why would people choose to enter relationships objectively deemed to be coercive? This project takes a new approach to how we understand surveillance. I embark on the first sustained inquiry into the association between surveillance and moral community, between practices of ‘watching over’ and the presence of a group of people who share a commitment to certain goods. By ethnographically investigating the role that surveillance technologies play in realizing four different types of good—care, health, safety and citizenship—within four different communities—the family, the interest group, the circle of intimates, and the nation—this research explores how surveillance proliferates not as a lever in power relations, but by being harnessed to forms of human welfare. The gains of this project are substantial. To surveillance studies I import insights from anthropology, offering a comparative and embedded approach that situates surveillance as a social relationship. I also initiate a major conversation about surveillance in anthropology. Finally I develop the concepts of ‘moral’ and ‘immoral’ monitoring, achieving greater public clarity on those forms of surveillance that support collective welfare, and those that threaten to harm it. ver más
31/12/2025
1M€
Duración del proyecto: 61 meses Fecha Inicio: 2020-11-06
Fecha Fin: 2025-12-31

Línea de financiación: concedida

El organismo H2020 notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2020-11-06
Línea de financiación objetivo El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-2020-STG: ERC STARTING GRANTS
Cerrada hace 5 años
Presupuesto El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a 1M€
Líder del proyecto
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico TRL 4-5