Surveillance: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow—From Occasional Encounters to Constant Immersion

Dr. David Lyon (PhD), research chair in surveillance studies at Queen’s University, delivers the 51st annual Sorokin Lecture in Sociology.

Thursday, Feb. 6
7 pm
St. Thomas More Library, 1437 College Dr.

RSVP on Eventbrite

Info: 306-966-6947  |  sociology@usask.ca

Abstract

Surveillance today is an unavoidable fact of everyday life for populations the world over. No longer an unusual occurrence in a specific context, or the product of some malevolent Big Brother, surveillance is ongoing, automated, ubiquitous and immersive. Power is still present, of course, but it’s blurred, involving both state and corporation. Many are inured to it—‘I have nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ or ‘I know they have my data, they use it to offer better services’—but surveillance today challenges much more than personal privacy. It is not only intrusive but also divisive, sorting us into categories for different treatment. Surveillance also operates in quite different societies so there are considerable variations in its impact. But wherever it is found, it downplays the human, politics and hope. This lecture explores the massive changes taking place in surveillance worldwide and calls for a reassertion of human judgement and democratic participation to challenge and to reshape surveillance for planetary human flourishing.

David Lyon is a professor of sociology at Queen’s University, Queen’s Research Chair in Surveillance Studies and the director of the Surveillance Studies Centre. 

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