Convenor
Fabio Quassoli, University of Milano-Bicocca
fabio.quassoli@unimib.it
Rapid advances in technology and big data have dramatically expanded the opportunities for more widespread, pervasive and sophisticated forms of surveillance than ever before. In the field of security and urban governance, these developments have led to the creation of an array of tools, such as surveillance cameras, facial recognition systems, data collection and management platforms, and analytical software, all of which facilitate real-time monitoring of individuals or groups. Importantly, these dynamics are not limited to government activities but extend to private and commercial domains, creating complex networks of information exchange between state and non-state actors alike.
To unravel the multifaceted and intricate nature of this surveillance landscape, David Lyon (2017) proposes the concepts of surveillance imaginaries and surveillance practices. The former refers to how surveillance is envisioned and its intersections with other dimensions of social life, including ethical aspects; the latter concerns the everyday applications of surveillance.
While analytically distinct, these concepts are closely intertwined: surveillance imaginaries are shaped by everyday experiences with surveillance practices, and these practices, in turn, reshape and reinforce those imaginaries. Together, these concepts offer a critical analytical tool for exploring multiple dimensions and meanings of digital surveillance, ranging from substantive to theoretical, symbolic, and cultural aspects, including users’ experiences.
The panel aims to explore the impact of datafication in the security sector, analysing how and to what extent these phenomena have changed the organisation, practices, instruments and imaginaries of social control.
Building on these premises, this session invites scholars from diverse disciplines – such as sociology, criminology, philosophy, and political science – to explore the imaginaries and practices of surveillance that define contemporary forms of social control by both governmental and non-governmental institutions. The session particularly welcomes contributions that take critical and innovative approaches, including empirical studies, based on ethnography, digital ethnography and qualitative digital methods, to advance the debate.
Topics may include, but are not limited to: the real-world deployment of surveillance practices and their targets; the social dimensions and power dynamics embedded in surveillance; the complex and far from linear relationships between the surveillant and the surveilled, along with issues of agency; potential forms of compliance, negotiation and resistance from below and above; ethical dilemmas posed by the expansion of social control; and the influence of cultural, political, and socio-technical contexts in informing or challenging surveillance practices.
This session – linked to the «Surveillance and digital control systems» research area of the «Open Government Data» Project of Excellence at the Department of Sociology and Social Research of Milano Bicocca – seeks to promote a nuanced discussion that goes beyond traditional notions of surveillance, embracing the complexity and diversity of actors and forces at play in the digital age.
Open questions
- How are surveillance practices applied in real-world settings, and what are their intended versus unintended consequences on different population groups?
- In what ways do everyday experiences of surveillance contribute to the construction and reproduction of broader surveillance imaginaries?
- How do surveillance technologies alter the balance of power between the surveillant and the surveilled, and what forms of agency or resistance emerge in response?
- What are the ethical dilemmas posed by the expansion of surveillance, and how can they be addressed to mitigate social harm?
- To what extent do individuals and groups comply with, negotiate, or resist surveillance practices, and what are the social and political implications of these responses?
- To what extent do non-state actors shape surveillance practices, and how do they collaborate or conflict with state actors?
- In what ways do technology impact the roles and experiences of those who operate it and how do different organizational cultures and structures influence the practices and experiences of the surveillants?
Keywords
surveillance; digital technologies; control practices; digital imaginaries; ethical dilemmas.
Sub-disciplines or cross-disciplinary areas of concern
sociology; critical criminology; digital studies; political science; cultural studies; surveillance studies.
References
Andrejevic, M.
2015 «The Work of Watching One Another: Lateral Surveillance, Risk, and Governance», in Surveillance & Society, 2, 4, pp. 479-497.
Ball, K.
2009 «Exposure. Exploring the subject of surveillance», in Information, Communication & Society, 12, 5, pp. 639-657.
Brayne, S.
2020 Predict and Surveil. Data, discretion and the future of policing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Browne, S.
2015 Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness. Durham: Duke University Press.
Eubanks, V.
2018 Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor. New York: St Martin’s Press.
Haggerty, K., Ericson, R.
2006 The New Politics of Surveillance and Visibility. Toronto: Toronto University Press.
Lyon, D.
2017 «Surveillance Culture: Engagement, Exposure, and Ethics in Digital Modernity», in International Journal of Communication, 11, pp. 824-842.
Monahan, T.
2010 Surveillance in the Time of Insecurity. New York: Rutgers University Press.
Schuilenburg, M.
2024 Making Surveillance Public: Why You Should Be More Woke About AI and Algorithms. The Hague: Eleven.
Convenor’s bio
Fabio Quassoli, PhD, is professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at the University of Milan-Bicocca, where he chairs the Master’s degree course in Analysis of Social Processes. His research interests are multiculturalism, immigration policies, ethno-racial discrimination, urban safety and security policies. On these topics, he has published some books and several articles in national and international journals. Among his recent publications, Clandestino, il governo delle migrazioni nell’Italia contemporanea (Meltemi), and a special issue on Post‐Migration Stress: Racial Microaggressions and Everyday Discrimination (Social Inclusion Journal).