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Summary Sociology 324 - Political Sociology Section 1
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A full summary of the class notes, lectures and prescribed readings and articles for the module.
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Political Sociologyo Coercive power
Power is enabling or disabling
o A person always has some form of power
324 All forms of power are embodied
o Gender
o Class
o Race
Section 1
o Culture
Lecture 1: Introduction o Socio-economic standing
o Age
Political Sociology o Nationality
The study of power
o Focus on the distribution of power Sources of Power
Sociological Imagination Military
Questions: State
o Is power a large scale or small phenomena Economic
Happening on micro, meso, and macro o Marx, Smith
levels Technological
Power as the freedom to choose how to act o E.g. drones
o Power influences/ imposes on this freedom
Legislative
o E.g. The state has the power to define and influence o Contracts
our freedom o Legal
Narratives of power play a role
o Laws
o How power is described
Social Norms
o How we refer to and understand power
Forms of Authority
Social pressures also influence our freedom Media (social)
o Act as a form of power Mass action and social movements
State as a source of power Institutions
o State has power over legal system (also a source of
power) Power that I have over others:
, Voting
Peers
Social media
Family
Subordinates
Power over me:
State
Banks and financial institutions
Employers
Economy
Legal system
University
Parents/family
Media
Leaders
Institutions
Religion
,Lecture 3: 19th March Social basics of power
Distribution of Power within Society Social basiss power
o Collective resources that individuals/groups
mobilize to promote change
Reading Who takes action?
Kourvetaris Who is mobilized?
Mobilization:
o “process of forming crowds, groups, associations,
Defining Power and organisations for the pursuit of collective goals”
Oberschall (1973:102)
There are difficulties present in defining power
Its is not enough to possess resources of power, you need
Power to control and capacity to influence others whether
to be able to use them effectively
they want to comply or not
o Positive or negative
Who has a surplus or deficit of power?
o Intentional or unintentional
All groups in society have power
o To what extent can you mobilise this to bring o Consciously or unconsciously
around social and political change o Small or large groups
Most societies have a power structure/ hierarchy E.g. political democracy: voters = important source of power
o State has surplus of power
o Minority groups have deficit of power
Tangible resources: those that can be quantified, measure,
E.g. unemployed, impoverished, women,
observed and categorized and typically has a monetary
etc
value
Economics, class, gender, ethnicity, race, age, religion are all
o Tradeable power
factors that result in power dynamics (less or more)
o Titles such as Professor have hierarchical power o Money
o Access is a form of power o Property
Access to decision-making processes o Information
o People (mass)
o Knowledge
o Social status
Intangible resources: those that can’t be observed, tested
or measured in terms of financial value
, o A person’s will/ influence/persuasive power Manipulation: concealed (half-truths that make you
Competency, reputation, respect, moral, behaviour in certain way)
leadership, honour, one’s character o Psychological form of power
o Influence access to power and people in power Politicians in form of propaganda
o Advertisements, media,
Forms: of Social Power
o Selective info that pressurizes you to act in a certain
Force: physical or psychological way or think a certain way
o Utilitarian: reward Power in relation to making somebody else comply
Inducement or compensation when Authority: institutionalised and legitimised form of power
recipient gets desired benefits for o Notion of command
compliance o Have to obey
Tradeable o Right to tell you to do something
o Coercive: punishment o Linked to legitimate power
Prevalent in SA o No resistance
Forcing you to do something because if you o Rewards or influence
don’t you will suffer some time of loss o Ability to threaten
Ostracized, punished, loss of o Position holds the power (not the person)
benefits o Legal-rational authority
o Persuasive: convince o Having authority must be attributed to
Messages used to convince impersonality and legitimacy
Motivations, values, ideas, etc changed to o Authority in modern states, state holds ultimate
comply authority
Persuasion Make rules and have coercive power
o Messages to convince o States without strong military or police cannot
o Different from manipulation enforce laws and behaviour affectively
o Influenced by speakers power and personal o Use of power distinguishes type of state
characters Totalitarian, authoritarian, democratic
o Stir up emotions Power attached to the position and not the person
o CONVINCING ARGUMENTS via evidence o However if you are no longer in a position of power,
Knowledgeable persons they still have power via status, position, ability to
influence decision-making
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