Normalization Through Tabling

The Partnership for Pre-Professional Pilipinos(P4) is an organization whose mission is dedicated to the advancement of Pilipinos in law and business. P4 is made up of Partners, who are P4’s leaders, and Associates, who are the general members of P4. The Partners work year round to make P4’s mission a reality, while fostering the Associates to follow their example. P4 represents a microcosm of the greater Pil-community on campus, being one of the eight Pil-orgs. Each Pil-org has their own agendas as set out in their mission statements, which are achieved through the development of norms that each member of an organization is supposed to abide by. One of the norms, that is consistent across all Pil-orgs including P4, is that every member is required to table on Sproul for at least an hour every week. Foucault’s theory of normalization is illustrated through the simple task of tabling since members are regulated to conform to this expectation.

P4 Partners ensure that Associates are normalized into performing their duty of tabling, which Foucault would recognize as corrective training used to discipline individuals who deviate from norms. Norms are “explicitly laid down by a set of regulations” and when broken, corrective punishment ensues(Foucault,p.179). At the beginning of every semester, the Partners explain the public relations and marketing benefits of tabling to Associates and also the tabling etiquette that everyone should follow. For instance, members must sign-in on a sheet during their tabling hours to show that they were present. When an Associate fails to follow any of the tabling expectations, one of the Partners personally reprimands the deviant to make the Associate “feel the offence he/she has committed(Foucault,p.178).” By confronting Associates, their behavior is corrected and norms are still upheld. Associates are not disciplined solely through punishment, but also through rewards.

Partners use different motivation tools and rewards that depict Foucault’s belief in the importance of having both positive and negative sanctions to foster normalization, while also creating hierarchy. Foucault believes in the system of “gratification-punishment,” focusing particularly on using incentives to encourage individuals to follow the norms(Foucault,p.180). Partners convince Associates of the importance of tabling for their own professional development in networking and marketing. Tabling is quantified in a kind of “punitive balance sheet” which ranks and “marks the gaps” between individuals, showing which individuals are more disciplined(Foucualt,pp.180-181). Partners have a tendency to show favoritism towards Associates who table more than the standard two hours per week, and who dedicate much more time and energy than other Associates.

Foucault’s theory of normalization does not account for the motivating factors behind each individual that makes them obedient to power. Through the example of tabling with P4, there is not a significant reason that would make individuals want to table. The real reason why Associates table, is for their own personal benefit. All Associates hope to become Partners, which is a leadership position they could put on their resumes. By tabling and following other P4 norms, they gain the favor of current Partners which works in their favor when next years’ Partners are chosen.

Normalization is important because it helps regulate society, just as normalization is used to manage the performance of members in an organization, like P4.