Seeing Surveillance: Twenty Years of Surveillance & Society

This paper reflects on the development of surveillance studies over the twenty years since the first publication of Surveillance & Society. It starts by pointing to key contextual changes that have provided fertile ground for surveillance-focused analysis and, in turn, shaped the emphasis of the field. The main body of the paper is organised over three (temporal) frames: origins of the field, present considerations, and future concerns. In doing so, attention is given to the reproduction, development, and innovation of intellectual knowledge in the context of surveillance studies.

Automated summary

This paper reflects on the development of surveillance studies over the past 20 years and explores the origins, present considerations, and future concerns of the field. It emphasizes the importance of knowledge reproduction, development, and innovation in the context of surveillance studies.