What is it about?
A critical examination of sociological definitions of power.
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Why is it important?
Sociological concepts of power have generally relied on Max Weber's definition which required some form of interaction between social agents, and the overcoming of "resistance". Real power differences can, however, exist between unrelated agents and where resistance does not exist. Ignorance or actions which fortuitously and unintentionally favour the interests of others frequently consolidate their power and preclude the emergence of resistance in the first place.
Perspectives
This article offers a major reorientation of sociological approaches to power. It was influenced by my earlier work on 'consensual' power in an African slave-holding society.
Professor Bernd Baldus
University of Toronto
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Study of Power: Suggestions for an Alternative, The Canadian Journal of Sociology, January 1975, JSTOR,
DOI: 10.2307/3339807.
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