Filozofija i drustvo 2014 Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages: 7-28
https://doi.org/10.2298/FID1403007S
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15 theses on power
Susen Simon (City University London, London, UK)
This article seeks to contribute to a critical understanding of the
multifaceted nature of power, emphasizing its capacity to shape the
development of society by permeating constitutive aspects of human reality.
To this end, the article proposes an outline of a multidimensional approach
to power. It does so by identifying and examining several - arguably
universal - features and functions of power. On the basis of 15 theses, it is
argued that, within the social world, the power of power derives from the
fact that it is (1) ubiquitous, (2) productive, (3) relational, (4)
intangible, (5) habitual, (6) discursive, (7) corporeal, (8) polycentric, (9)
performative, (10) normative, (11) spatial, (12) temporal, (13) disciplinary,
(14) circular, and (15) transcendental. By way of conclusion, the article
provides a comprehensive summary of the main insights gained and challenges
arising from such a multidimensional approach to power.
Keywords: ability, agency, capability, capacity, complexity, control, disempowerment, domination, emancipation, empowerment, influence, power, society