The concept of political power in sociology is related to political disputes inserted in institutions and in the daily coexistence of individuals in a society.
In order to understand what the concept of political power is about, it is necessary to understand what each of the parts that make up the term means. The reason for this type of approach is due to the fact that both the notion of power and that of politics are closely linked, so when we speak of “political power”, it may seem redundant. Therefore, conceptual distinctions are extremely necessary.
→ What is Power?
In its most general meaning, the word Power indicates the capacity to act or to produce effect. In this perspective, Power can be understood both in the social sense, that is, in the relations of human beings in society, in which it starts to have a much more specific meaning, and under an instrumental perspective, which concerns the human being’s ability to control nature and its resources. In its social sense, the idea of Power is connected to the general possibility or capacity to act, to an individual’s ability to determine the behavior of another individual. In this sense, the human being is not only the subject capable of exercising power, but is also an object over which power is exercised.
This would be, therefore, the Social Power that we see manifested in the ability of a teacher to determine what is and what is not acceptable during his class, for example, or even in a mother’s ability to establish order over her children. children. Therefore, through a perspective of social phenomenon, power is a relationship between human beings in which the determining aspect is the ability to act or influence the action of the other.
It is in this perspective that the idea of politics approaches and, at times, is confused with that of power. The distinctions are quite subtle, but the possible forms of manifestation of power, in some instances, depart considerably from the idea of politics. The exercise of power through physical violence, for example, cannot be seen as a political manifestation. It is up to us, therefore, to define what, then, is politics.
→ What is Politics?
The concept of politics is quite comprehensive when associated with the field of actions of the subjects of a society. Some authors consider that any conflict mediation action carried out in the social environment that does not use physical violence is a political act. On the other hand, other perspectives define politics as actions or activities that are carried out within the sphere of action of the State, that is, of the set of institutions that order a government. Another of the most discussed and debated interpretations of the term politics is that of the German jurist Carl Shmitt, who sees politics as a friend-enemy relationship between those involved.
Don’t stop now … There’s more after the publicity;)
Based on this conception of the friend-enemy relationship, the political sphere would be constituted by the constant antagonism between the parties in conflict, before which the main activity of those involved would be the association between those who have similarities in relation to their objectives, the defense of “ friends ”and the fight against“ enemies ”, placed on the opposite side of the“ battlefield ”. In all these perspectives, however, conflict mediation is the recurring theme as a definer of what politics would be.
→ Political Power
The political power , therefore, is linked both to the concept of Social Power that involves human relations in society and the political conflict mediation function. This, however, is inserted in a specific context in the modern state: the monopoly on the use of force. In a concise manner, this means that the political power of the modern state is sustained in the exclusive domain of the use of violence in a legitimate way, which, on the other hand, does not mean that political power is configured by the use of violence, but , yes, by controlling the use of this force as a coercive form. In other words, political power is configured by the exclusive use of force in relation to a group of groups that form the same social context.
This exclusivity, however, must be the result of a process that must occur in all organized society, in which all the power of individual coercion is relegated to the State. Thus, the political dispute occurs for the control of this aggregate power in the figure of the institution, which, having been legitimized by the population that accepts to live under its determinations, becomes the source of all legitimate action power. The State is, therefore, the only entity that has the genuine power to resort to the use of force as a form of intervention, should the need arise, in the actions of the subjects that are subject to its jurisdiction. Political Power can be understood, therefore, as the ability to influence the actions of subjects inserted in a social context through the political institutions that govern the relations of this space.
