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Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 42, No. 2, 169-192 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1078087406292845

Electronic Fortification in Phoenix

Surveillance Technologies and Social Regulation in Residential Communities

Torin Monahan

Arizona State University, Tempe

This article compares experiences of surveillance technologies in low-income public housing and affluent gated communities in Phoenix, Arizona. Contrary to the popular discourse of surveillance as ensuring protection from external threats, in practice, both groups feel subjected to undesired individual scrutiny and policing of their behaviors. Nonetheless, key differences exist. First, residents in gated communities possess relative mobility and minimal personal risk compared to those in public housing. Second, in public housing, the underlying logics behind surveillance are toward the enforcement of state laws, whereas in gated communities, they are toward the enforcement of conformity in appearance and behavior. The article argues that the dissonance between popular discourse and discourse of practice about surveillance technologies is representative of deeper social instabilities engendered by neoliberal forms of governance.

Key Words: electronic surveillance • public housing • gated communities • social control • neoliberalism • technology studies


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