Power versus domination

Description:Defining power In social and political theory, power is often regarded as an essentially contested concept see Lukes and , and Connolly Although this claim is itself contested see Haugaard ; Morriss , — and Wartenberg , 12—17 , there is no doubt that the literature on power is marked by deep, widespread, and seemingly intractable disagreements over how the term power should be understood. One such disagreement pits those who define power as getting someone else to do what you want them to do, that is, as an exercise of power-over, against those who define it as an ability or a capacity to act, that is, as a power-to do something. Notice that there are two salient features of this definition of power: Arguing in favor of this way of conceptualizing power, Hanna Pitkin notes that power is related etymologically to the French word pouvoir and the Latin potere, both of which mean to be able. Some of the theorists who analyze power as power-to leave power-over entirely out of their analysis.

Views: 1492 Date: 2018-05-07 Favorited: 79