Socio-Cultural Panopticon: A Foucauldian Exploration of Traditional Surveillance in Saadat Hasan Manto’s Short Stories

Abstract

This study explores the omnipresence of surveillance in mid-twentieth-century society by analyzing Saadat Hasan Manto’s selected short stories through Foucault’s concept of Panopticism. Manto, vividly, portrays the power dynamics of his time, reflecting deeply ingrained surveillance mechanisms rooted in cultural norms. By examining the societal structure, politics, and class, the study not only uncovers traditional surveillance techniques but also highlights how such dynamics reinforce the sociocultural gaze of the era. Through a New Historicist approach, the qualitative study shows that the surveillance mechanisms portrayed in Manto’s stories are not only restricted to mere physical institutions, as ascribed by Foucault, but have far-reaching impacts on the contemporary issues of privacy, power, and social control. Thus, this study underscores Manto’s portrayal of surveillance and its significance in today’s digitally mediated socio-cultural landscape.