Docile body from the aspect of post-Yugoslav artistic praxis in Serbian film

Abstract

The object of institutional discipline: docile body as a primary goal of shaping, is defined by Michel Foucault in relation to the position of the centre of power at a certain historical moment. Post-Yugoslav artistic cinematography praxis, realised in collaboration of the countries of former Yugoslavia, provides a space for analysing of the mechanisms of power in the period of challenging potential for manipulation. On the example of militarism and its structures, it is possible to extrapolate a docile body subordinate to the indoctrination system by using Foucault's study of discipline and punishment, and to analyse the causality of control enforcement. From the historical and outdated punishment systems, public delivery of physical punishments popularised at war times - as depicted in the film Krugovi (Circles) (2013, Srdan Golubović) as well as the consequences rising from manifestations of restrictions, through systemic presence of repressive messages/instruction bearers and unavoidability of the institution as a bastion of alienated centre of power - as depicted in the film Ničije dete (Nobody's Child) (2014, Vuk Ršumović), through description of the process of assimilation of a non-controlled individual into a defined system of subordinates, to the hierarchic dynamics within military units and acting out of one's own volition - as in the film Karaula (The Border Post) (2006, Rajkot Garlic) - the docile body, in terms of military mobilisation, provides an insight into how discipline/control functions, what consequences it raises and how it influences all members of the society, insisting on its stagnation.