Mark Haugaard

Stewart R Clegg

Power is arguably one of the key concepts within the social sciences. The SAGE Handbook of Power is the first touchstone for any student or researcher wishing to initiate themselves in the state of the art. Internationally acclaimed, Stewart R Clegg and Mark Haugaard have joined forces to select a collection of papers written by scholars with global reputations for excellence. These papers bridge different conceptual and theoretical positions and draw on many disciplines, including politics, sociology and cultural studies. The sweep and richness of the resulting handbook will help readers contextualise and grow their understanding of this dynamic and important subject area.

The SAGE Handbook of Power

This annotated reader is an introductory guide to some of the most significant perspectives on the subject of power within social and political theory. Containing extracts from such leading contemporary thinkers as Giddens, Lukes, and Bourdieu, alongside recent conceptions of power from important 20th century figures including Weber, Arendt, and Foucault, this book is intended as an introductory text for students encountering the subject for the first time.

Power: A Reader

Understanding domination, empowerment and democracy

The four dimensions of power

Kevin Ryan

Although the concept of power is central to the study of politics, there is no agreement as to what exactly power is. Power is often viewed negatively, as domination, though it is also the case that power is created by people acting in concert, in which case it can have positive effects. Making sense of this puzzle is one of the aims of this book, which provides the reader with a clear and coherent way of understanding the various forms and manifestations of power, and it does so by bringing together the most important and influential perspectives on power within the political and social sciences. From the Contents: Mark Haugaard and Kevin Ryan: Power in Social and Political Theory John Gledhill: Power in Political Anthropology Stewart Clegg: Foundations of Organizational Power Jill Vickers: Gendering Power: Feminist Approaches John A. Hall and Siniša Maleševic: The Political Sociology of Power Philip G. Cerny: Power and International Relations

The Development of the Field

Political Power

Matthias Kettner

Theorising Noumenal Power is a critical engagement with Rainer Forst’s theory of what he calls "noumenal power." Forst is the most significant younger generation critical theorist of the Frankfurt School, and his critics include several of the most influential contemporary political power theorists. The concept of noumenal power locates the sources of social and political power in the space of reasons or justifications – using a normatively neutral account of "justification." To exercise power, on that account, means to be able to determine, use, close or open up the space of justifications for others. Going back to Kant, the social subject is theorized as a reasoning being who confers legitimacy upon political structures based upon the cognitive faculty of justification. As argued by Max Weber, authority is the foundation of political institutions and authority presupposes a belief in legitimacy. On the one hand such beliefs can be distorted, as in ideology, or they can be based upon a process of reasoned justification relative to normatively desirable principles. Critiquing the former, while building upon the latter, serves as the foundation for theorising just democratic politic institutions. For Forst’s critics, a key theme is how to differentiate ideological (bad) justification, typically based upon emotion, from normatively right democratic reasoning. Other important themes are the analysis of structural domination or the use of threats or other means of exercising power. The debate in this volume constitutes an exciting new way of re-thinking the foundations of ideology, political power, democracy and justice. Providing a state-of-the-art discussion concerning the relationship between political power and justification Theorising Noumenal Power is essential for students and scholars interested in the theoretical foundations of political power, democracy and justice. The chapters were originally published in the Journal of Political Power.

Mark Haugaard

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