ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the reader with a brief overview of the field of surveillance studies. It demonstrates the centrality of the concept of identity to issues of surveillance, and shows how identity provides a critical entry point into empirical and theoretical surveillance debates. The chapter highlights the dual politicisation of identity in surveillance. This leads to demonstrating the critical role to be played in surveillance research by a study of discourse. This involves assessing existing work with a discursive orientation, drawing lessons from this and suggesting fruitful areas of discursive surveillance research, specifically in concept of individual identity. The chapter discusses governmentality theory providing the most promising framework for further political research on surveillance. Surveillance Studies is a growing multi-disciplinary field. It has emerged from a number of disciplinary areas including sociology, urban geography, criminology, history, workplace and management studies, cultural studies, information technology and computer science, science and technology studies, law, political theory, political science and international relations.
