"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw

June 3, 2011

POWER AND DOMINATION ACCORDING TO WEBER AND FOUCAULT

2011

Concepts of power and domination is very much related that they cannot be separately analyzed without referencing to each other. Not only in modern forms of societies that we live in today, but also in former systems the importance of concepts of power and domination were unquestionable whether they were in visible forms or not. The relations of power and domination can be traced between individuals themselves and also between individuals and the authorities. Although both relations seem to have similar grounds in respect to their association with power and domination concepts, the main difference is in the tools and understandings that create a significance, especially in the relationship between the society and the state.

Max Weber and Michel Foucault are two prominent thinkers who looks at concepts of power and domination in different but complementary perspectives. On the one hand, Weber claims that power comes into existence with the existence of bureaucratic instruments and bureaucracy itself. On the other hand, Foucault suggests that the power relations are everywhere in the society with discursive elements that we have no chance but to internalize. In this paper, I present these two thinkers' approaches on mentioned topics and how they differ and complete each other in various aspects.

To start with, the definition of “power” by Weber in simple words should be remembered. Power, in simple terms, is the capacity to make someone do something that in otherwise he would not. What is different than Foucault's understanding is that Weber makes a concrete understanding of power that is shaped almost in a physical way. In addition Weber sees power relations as a phenomena among the actors. Other than the individuals that compose the community, the most important actor is the state.

Weber defines state as the “entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence in a given territory” 1. State seeks to embrace power and how she practices power can be called domination. In Weber's words domination is "the probability that certain specific commands (or all commands) will be obeyed by a given group of persons" 2. When dominance continues for a considerable period of time, it becomes a structured phenomenon, and the forms of dominance become the social structures of society.

The most significant instrument that is used by the modern states, that we live in, to establish authority is called bureaucracy. It is everywhere in the society and once the bureaucratization is established, it is very hard to be destroyed. What is misleading about bureaucracy is that while it is meant to maintain law and order for the citizens, it is also a political element that keeps the authority and domination of the state. Though, one should know about the three frameworks, which are drawn by Weber, to establish authority in the societies 3.

First one of these three types of authority is called the traditional authority, which is mostly seen in tribes and colonies, in which customs and traditions are used for domination. In this type, the most efficient help comes from history as the traditions and habits grant an acceptance from the society and the arriving generations. Second is called charismatic authority in which the personality of leaders establish the necessary standards for domination. Examples like Napoleon, Hitler and Fidel Castro signifies the evidence of this type of authority as they dominated with the help of their individual influences on the societies.

In today's modern societies, the legal-rational authority is being used that helps to maintain bureaucracy and domination. There are clearly defined set of rules like constitutions that are executed by institutions to maintain the domination. The important point here is the legality of rules in the bureaucratic continuum that are imposed by the state and its components like institutions. In addition, bureaucracy is not only the purpose to maintain power, but also the instrument to legitimize the power and domination of the state with rules and legality to be accepted by the society.

On the other hand, Foucault draws a picture of “power” in a broader sense than Weber's projection in just bureaucracy and legitimation. He underlines the relationship between rationalization and the excesses of power in the society. According to him, power relations are rooted in the system of social networks and it would be an abstraction if we think of society without power relations. In addition, he looks at the power concept from a functional approach as he identifies it with the functional practices processed by the authority. Foucault emphasizes that discursive power is largely used by the authority and the practices of discourses help to maintain the dominance.

What is significant about Foucault's understanding of power relations is mostly the discursive executions. Though, he first winds up the concept of power relations which, he insists, are not necessarily derived from state practices, but are all under state control. He underlines that state and hegemony is in the every area of life 4. According to him, control is exercised as power through disciplines that are ways to organize action to be built into social systems. Members of the society experience these discourses and practices in deep and in a long period of time, which, in the end, result in a formation of reality that cannot be realized as an execution of dominance.

To show concrete and functional examples, he looks at everyday lives of individuals that are spent in schools, prisons, hospitals and factories. All these places, for instance, have ring bells to signify an end or start, which is aimed for control and exercise of power. Advancements in technology and rise of rationalization in the modern societies made it possible for efficient means of control and dominance. For instance, prisons like Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon is a significant work of art that can be practiced for surveillance and domination.

In addition to control and surveillance in schools or prisons, Foucault also underlines the role of punishment in modern societies that are to effect individuals' behaviors and make them become subjects to their own bodies 5. All in all, what he is trying to claim is that power relations and exercises of domination are materialized in all areas of line in discursive ways such as languages, institutions and through social systems of control. According to him, reality is constructed artificially that is substantiated in discourses and establishing disciplinary methods.

I firmly believe that although the approaches presented by Weber and Foucault seems to be in different directions, they complete each other in various aspects. Both thinkers emphasize upon the prominence of power relations and exercise of dominance in rationalized and technically developed formations of Western cultures of modern societies. On the one hand, Weber underlines the importance of bureaucracy to better explain the power concept. According to him the sources of authority strengthens itself in bureaucratic practices. Also it is used to legitimize the dominance of the state. Bureaucracy is not just in the state apparatuses, but in every aspect of modern society. It is an “ideal” based on a system of rational rules, opposed to tradition or charisma.

Foucault, on the other hand, insists that power relations are rooted in the system of social relations. He takes an approach of functionality in which he shows the tools of power that are used by the state in a discursive way. What makes individuals believe in the constructed realities is the persuasiveness of discursive practices in every day lives, such as languages, institutions, schools, factories or prisons. While Weber asks for how power and domination is legitimized through bureaucracy, Foucault shows how we legitimize the power that is reflected upon us with everyday practices.

To conclude, in this paper I tried to draw the approaches of two prominent thinkers on concepts like power and domination. Although they seem to differ in some aspects, I tried to show how they can complete each other. On the one hand, Weber shows how power is legitimized and strengthened by bureaucracy and how it effects the relations between individuals and the state. On the other hand, Foucault underlines the importance of the power relations in the society and the discursive power of the authorities in various aspects. I firmly believe that, Weber, with his formal and rational perspective and Foucault, with his functional approach, completes each other for readers interested in power and domination concepts.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Foucault, Michel. The Subject and Power, in K. Nash (ed), Contemporary Political Sociology, Blackwell.

Weber, Max, Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology, New York, Bedminster Press, 1968.

Weber, Max. Politics as a Vocation, in From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, ed. H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills, London, Routledge, 1991.

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