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Book No. – 002 (Political Science)
Book Name – Political Theory (Rajeev Bhargava)
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1. CONCEPTIONS OF POWER
2. POWER AS EXPLOITATION
3. AUTHORITY, LEGITIMACY AND HEGEMONY
4. FEMINIST THEORIES OF POWER
5. FOUCAULT ON POWER
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LANGUAGE
Power
Chapter – 9
Table of Contents
CONCEPTIONS OF POWER
- In ordinary usage, power refers to ability, strength, or capacity (e.g., ‘electric power’), but in social and political theory, it refers to the ability to produce effects within social interaction.
- Power is understood as a type of behavior arising from social relationships and organized social interactions.
- Robert Dahl provides a well-known definition: “A has power over B to the extent that A can get B to do something which B would not otherwise do.”
- This definition assumes power is: (a) an attribute of individuals exercised over others, and (b) a form of domination used to make others do what one wants, against their will.
- These assumptions are challenged by other theorists who:
- Attribute power to collectivities and structures rather than individuals.
- In Marxist theory, power is unequally distributed in a class-divided society, with the ruling classes exercising power over the working class.
- Feminist theorists view power as embedded in patriarchal structures, ensuring systematic domination of women by men.
- In both cases, power is seen as located within structures, and individuals derive power from their position within them.
- The second assumption is challenged by theorists who view power not only as domination (power over) but also as power to—an enhanced capacity emerging from collective action.
- Hannah Arendt theorizes power as enabling, generated when people communicate and act together in shared enterprises.
- Power as power to is the basis for moral responsibility and action.
- Talcott Parsons likens political power to money in economic systems, emphasizing its circulation and capacity to secure political obligations.
- Power is seen as a property of the entire social system, not just individuals.
- Steven Lukes suggests that power is an ‘essentially contested’ concept, a term first outlined by W.B. Gallie.
- Some concepts are value-laden and not purely objective; descriptions involve subjective standards, interests, and purposes.
- For example, describing something as ‘art’ or ‘democracy’ implicitly devalues non-art and non-democracy.
- Every description, even if appearing objective, reflects certain standards and intentions.
- Lukes identifies three dimensions of political power:
- First dimension: Power is exercised explicitly to ensure that a more powerful set of interests prevails over others. This view is closest to Dahl’s definition of power.
- Second dimension: Power is exercised to shape the agenda of debate, excluding certain issues from consideration. Peter Bachrach and Morton Baratz argue that power can operate even when equality appears to exist, preventing certain demands from being voiced or considered.
- Third dimension: Power operates structurally, shaping people’s perceptions of what is in their interest. Lukessuggests power may be used to hide people’s real interests, making them unknowingly comply with what those in power want. This view aligns with Marxist views of power.
- Lukes argues that power is contested because interpretations of the second and third dimensions depend on one’s overall understanding of politics, morality, and ethics.
- Disagreements arise about whether these dimensions express power relations, depending on whether one sees society as plural, equitable, and free from hidden interests.
- As a result, there can never be a universally agreed-upon understanding of what power is. Power is therefore an essentially contested concept.