"Power is the social production of an effect that determines the capacities, actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors."
The ability to influence and control the behavior of others, often through unequal distribution of resources and social status.
Social power: This topic explores how power shapes social interactions and relationships among individuals, groups, and societies.
Cultural power: Cultural power refers to the ways in which cultural knowledge, beliefs, institutions, and symbols are used to maintain and reinforce power relations.
Political power: This topic examines the ways in which political institutions and processes shape power relations within societies and across borders.
Economic power: Economic power is concerned with the ways in which economic systems and structures shape the distribution of power and resources within and across societies.
Gender and power: This topic explores how gender identities, norms, and hierarchies shape power relations at various levels, from the family to the state.
Race and power: This topic examines how race and racialized identities, ideologies, and systems shape power relations at the individual, group, and societal levels.
Colonialism and imperialism: This topic explores how colonialism and imperialism have shaped power relations and affected the social and cultural identities of colonized peoples and their descendants.
Resistance and struggle: Resistance and struggle refer to the ways in which individuals, groups, and societies challenge and resist power relations and seek to transform them.
Ethnography and power: This topic explores how ethnography and other research methods are used to study power relations and how power relations shape the research process and outcomes.
Postcolonial theory: Postcolonial theory examines the legacy of colonialism and imperialism, and how power relations continue to shape global politics, economics, and culture.
Coercive power: This is the ability to force people to do something against their will through the use of physical violence, threats or punishment.
Economic power: This is the ability to control the resources necessary for survival, such as food, water, and shelter. Those who control these resources can control the behavior of others.
Political power: This is the ability to control the actions of others through the use of law, regulations, and policies. Political power is often held by governments and other governing bodies.
Patriarchal power: This is the power held by men as a result of their gender. Men often have more access to resources and opportunities than women, giving them more power in society.
Expert power: This is the power held by those who are seen as experts in a particular field or subject matter. Those with expert power are often sought out for advice and guidance.
Charismatic power: This is the power held by those who are seen as charismatic and compelling leaders. Charismatic leaders can motivate and inspire others to follow their lead.
Psychological power: This is the power held by those who are able to manipulate the emotions and behavior of others through verbal or psychological means. Psychological power can be used to control and manipulate others.
Structural power: This is the power held by those who are in control of the social structures that govern society. Those in control of these structures can shape the way that society functions and determine who has access to power.
Ideological power: This is the power held by those who control the dominant ideas and values of society. Those who control the dominant ideology can shape the way that people think and act.
Moral power: This is the power held by those who are seen as morally righteous and virtuous. Those with moral power can shape the moral values and beliefs of society.
"Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force (coercion) by one actor against another."
"Power may also be exerted through diffuse means (such as institutions)."
"Power may also take structural forms, as it orders actors in relation to one another."
"Discursive forms of power exist as categories and language may lend legitimacy to some behaviors and groups over others."
"The term authority is often used for power that is perceived as legitimate or socially approved by the social structure."
"Power can be seen as evil or unjust; however, power can also be seen as good and as something inherited or given for exercising humanistic objectives that will help, move, and empower others as well."
"Scholars have distinguished between soft power and hard power."
"Power is the social production of an effect that determines the capacities, actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors."
"Power may also be exerted through diffuse means (such as institutions)."
"Power takes structural forms, as it orders actors in relation to one another."
"Categories and language may lend legitimacy to some behaviors and groups over others."
"The term authority is often used for power that is perceived as legitimate or socially approved by the social structure."
"Power can be seen as evil or unjust; however, power can also be seen as good."
"Power can be inherited or given for exercising humanistic objectives that will help, move, and empower others."
"Power can also be seen as good and as something inherited or given for exercising humanistic objectives that will help, move, and empower others."
"Scholars have distinguished between soft power and hard power."
"Power may take structural forms, discursive forms, and can be exerted through diffuse means."
"Power orders actors in relation to one another (such as distinguishing between a master and an enslaved person, a householder and their relatives, an employer and their employees, a parent and a child, a political representative and their voters...)."
"The term authority is often used for power that is perceived as legitimate or socially approved by the social structure."