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Power: Additional Resources
These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Power.
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Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:
Online (Web) Sources
Wehr, Paul. Alternatives to Force. Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/non-force.htm [Backup Link] This page offers a brief discussion of Kenneth Boulding's notion of the three forms of social power. The three key types are threat, exchange, and integration. Atlee, John S. and Tom Atlee. Democracy: A Social Power Analysis. Available at: http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol-democSocPwrAnal.html [Backup Link] This essay discusses various aspects of social power in relation to democracy and freedom. The authors offer a definition and brief discussion of social power, and then examine the relationship between social power and freedom. The following sections discuss several aspects of the relationship between social power and democracy, with the authors stating that "democracy is a society characterized by equality of social power." Lastly, there are brief descriptions of various forms of social power. Fulda, Joseph S. Economic Power. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This is a brief article about economic power, what the term means and the relationship between wealth and political power. Carli, Linda L. Gender, Interpersonal Power, and Social Influence. Journal of Social Issues. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This article discusses the power inequities between women and men, focusing on the real consequences of the imbalance for women. In this article, the author examines "the way men and women exert influence by changing the opinions of others, and the way people perceive and respond to men and women as influence agents. Although the literature on gender differences in social influence is not extensive, it does reveal that men and women do differ in their ability to influence others and that these differences correspond to gender differences in power." -From Article Hutcheon, Pat Duffy. Hannah Arendt on the Concept of Power. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] The author highlights the importance of Arendt's work, and focuses on her contribution to the "clarification of key concepts, most particularly, her insights into the nature of power in human relations." Coleman, Peter T. "Positive Power: Mapping the Dimensions of Constructive Power Relations." , 1900 Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] Traditional approaches to the study of power have emphasized its more coercive and dominating aspects and have approached it as a problem to be contained and avoided. An alternative orientation to power is presented here which focuses on positive forms of mutually constructive power. This approach to power offers a vision of what could be, as well as a strategy for limiting the use of coercive power by proactively approaching and building positive power at all levels of social interaction. The implications of destructive and constructive power for families, schools, work organizations and ethnic conflict are discussed. - Abstract
Offline (Print) Sources
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Pantheon Books, 1977. This classic and highly academic text presents Foucault's take on the development of the prison, which he employs as a case example of the relationship between knowledge and power as well as between the individual and the State. This is the work in which Foucault expounded upon Jeremy Bentham's well-known concept of the panopticon. Clegg, Steward R. Frameworks of Power. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, August 1989. This textbook offers a clear and thorough discussion of different frameworks for understanding power that have been proposed in the social sciences. The work covers classic literature on power, focusing particularly on Machiavelli and Hobbes. In addition to covering the history of such frameworks, the author attempts to synthesize a new framework for understanding power and applies it to the study of the emergence of the modern state. Aronowitz, Stanley. How Class Works: Power and Social Movement. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, May 2003. This work questions a popular notion that Americans hold, which is that they live in a classless society. The author demonstrates that class is still a potent force in the United States and that it should not be understood simply in terms of social stratification. Instead, Aronowitz argues that class should be understood as the power of social groups to make a difference in society. He employs labor movements, environmental activism, and feminism as examples of groups that have engaged in class struggles as their demands for power reconfigured the social order. Chaiken, Shelly L. "Persuasion in Negotiations and Conflict Situations." In The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice. Edited by Deutsch, M. and Peter T. Coleman, eds. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000. This chapter focuses on the aspects of persuasion and attitude change in negotiation, bargaining, and conflict resolution. Coleman, Peter T. "Power and Conflict." In The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice,. Edited by Deutsch, Morton and Peter T. Coleman, eds. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. This chapter aims to improve understanding of the relationship between power and conflict. The author discusses various conceptions and typologies of power and offers a working definition of power. Coleman then discusses how certain personal and situational factors affect peoples' responses to power in social relations. Lastly, he considers how those ideas are relevant to conflict resolution, describing the tendencies and strategies used by members of groups with varying degrees of power when they are faced with conflict. Power and Conflict: Toward a General Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, November 1989. Blalock explores different arguments related to power and conflict. A general conflict model helps to illustrate the ideas discussed in the book. Sharp, Gene. Power and Struggle: Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part I. Boston: Porter Sargent Pub., May 1974. Part One of the Poltics of Nonviolent Action, Power and Struggle, explores the nature of power and the possibility of controlling or challenging power through nonviolent means. Primary Link Hocker, Joyce L. and William Wilmot Burton. "Power in Interpersonal Conflict." In Interpersonal Conflict. Edited by Hocker, Joyce and William Wilmot Burton, eds. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1985. The authors discuss the role of power in interpersonal conflict. They begin by observing that people have very different attitudes towards power. Primary Link Kriesberg, Louis. Social Conflicts, 2nd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, January 1982. Woehrle, Lynne M. Social Constructions of Power and Empowerment: Thoughts from Feminist Approaches to Peace Research and Peace-making. Boulding, Kenneth E. Three Faces of Power. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, May 1989. Boulding examines the nature of power. His analysis reveals three types of power: destructive, economic, and integrative. Boulding examines each type of power both from a personal and an organizational perspective. He closes this work by considering the role of power in biological and social evolution. Primary Link [Backup Link]
Examples Illustrating this Topic:
Online (Web) Sources
Making Change Happen: Advocacy and Citizen Participation. Available at: http://www.justassociates.org/MakingChangeReport.pdf [Backup Link] This report presents the results of a 2001 conference, co-sponsored by ActionAid-USA, the Asia Foundation, the Participation Group at the Institute of Development Studies and Just Associates. The conference involved activists from around the world and was focused on exploring an expanded view of advocacy and citizen participation. Participants recognized that advocacy and civic participation involve a complex interaction of power and resistance. The conference was focused on ways activists can help one another organize, raise consciousness and foster political empowerment for social transformation. Martel, William C. Technology and Military Power. Available at: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/forum/archives/pdfs/25-2pdfs/martel.pdf [Backup Link] This paper discusses United States' military power in relation to the technology it is based on. The author contends that long-term U.S. military capability depends on maintaining technologies that are unequaled by any other states. "To evaluate the foundations of U.S. technological power and its implications for American security and international security in the twenty-first century, this article examines the critical defense technologies in which the United States has invested for decades." -From Article Van Creveld, Martin. The Effectiveness of Military Power. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] Written prior to the events of September 11, 2001, this paper assesses trends in the effectiveness of military power over the past few decades. The author examines four main areas of military power: 1)nuclear war; 2) conventional war; 3) sub-conventional war as waged by the state against non-sate organizations; and 4) sub-conventional war as waged by nonstate organizations against state.
Offline (Print) Sources
Schlesinger, Arthur M. A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. Boston: Houghton Miflin, January 1, 1965. This book examines President John F. Kennedy's time in office. It describes the actions he took in times of crisis, specifically during the Cuban crisis, that led to de-escalation. Sharp, Gene. Dynamics of Nonviolent Action: Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 3. Boston: Porter Sargent Pub., November 1985. The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action explores the nature and processes of nonviolent action. Primary Link [Backup Link] Sharp, Gene. Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives: Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 2. Boston: Porter Sargent, 1970. Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives examines potential for techniques of nonviolent resistance to replace reliance on violence as the means of final resort in conflict. Primary Link Wehr, Paul, Heidi Burgess and Guy M. Burgess, eds. Justice Without Violence. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1994. "A well-integrated mixture of theoretical analysis and case studies (from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East), the book examines nonviolent direct action, political action, economic sanctions and social movements as alternative remedies in the struggle for justice." Sharp, Gene. Making Europe Unconquerable: The Potential of Civilian-Based Deterrence and Defense. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company, October 1985. Making Europe Unconquerable argues that civilian based nonviolent deterrence and defense is a viable alternative to conventional military approaches to national security. Primary Link Sharp, Gene. Methods of Nonviolent Action: Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 2. Boston: Porter Sargent Pub., January 1, 1973. The Methods of Nonviolent Action describes nearly two-hundred specific methods of nonviolent action. Primary Link Eisler, Riane. The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. San Francisco, CA: Harper, October 1, 1988. "The Chalice and the Blade has inspired a generation of women and men to envision a truly egalitarian society by exploring the legacy of the peaceful, goddess-worshipping cultures from our prehistoric past." Primary Link [Backup Link] Deutsch, Karl Wolfgang. The Nerves of Government: Models of Political Communication and Control. New York: The Free Press, January 1, 1963. This book is a "comparative study of many systems of communication and control, ranging from electronic computers to biological and nervous systems, and to human organizations and societies."
Audiovisual Materials on this Topic:
Offline (Print) Sources
The Uprising of '34 . Directed and/or Produced by: Stoney, George dir., Judith Helfand and Susanne Rostock. First Run Icarus Films. 1995. This film explores how grassroots organizing resulted in the massive mill workers strike of 1934 which resulted in the blacklisting, and murder of cotton mill workers. Primary Link [Backup Link] War and Peace . Directed and/or Produced by: Patwardhan, Anand. First Run Icarus Films. 2002. This film examines how, and why, four countries chose to use force as a means of attaining what they desired. Primary Link [Backup Link] You Got to Move . Directed and/or Produced by: Phenix, Lucy Massie and Veronica Selver. First Run Icarus Films. 1985. This film documents how collective power has been used to address issues of civil and social justice. Primary Link [Backup Link] |
