The Universal Eye: Anarchist “Propaganda of the Deed” and Development of the Modern Surveillance State

Abstract

Recent controversies over bulk data collection remind us of the importance of surveillance as a site of citizen-state interaction. Surveillance is intimately linked to the nature and scope of the state, but receives comparatively little attention in traditional work on state formation. I show that the modern surveillance state emerged as a reaction to anarchist “propaganda of the deed,” which entailed assassinations of political leaders, as well as bombings of cafes, theatres, and landmarks. I theorize this mutation through a practice conception of state institutions, one that focuses on processes of boundary maintenance and transformation. I argue that boundary “shattering” constitutes an important mechanism of state transformation, one in which events or processes render existing boundary-drawing practices useless. The ensuing crisis requires the state to “reinscribe” new boundaries through the development of new practices.