Social Inequalities - Power

Social Inequalities ANTH 2301 Power Social inequality frameworks of today have greatly expanded to include a complex conception of power. Power is essentially the ability to exercise control, power, or influence over other people. It is a major component of inequality dynamics and pervades many aspects of society. In addition to power, there is the idea of agency, which is derived from having power and refers to the capacity for autonomous action and decision-making. Analysing power dynamics—both overt and covert—and identifying the complex ways in which power disparities are upheld or challenged in various social situations are essential skills for anybody researching social inequality. There are many different ways that power may appear, from the overt and forceful to the covert and sneaky. Certain circumstances clearly show who is in charge and how they exercise it; in other circumstances, power is more distributed and difficult to see, functioning via customs, beliefs, and behaviours that are accepted as normal in daily life. We must ask why certain power disparities are aggressively contested while others are maintained given the existence of power and all of its manifestations. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that people and organisations frequently tolerate power disparities when they serve their interests, while opposing those that cause them harm. The systems of social inequality are supported by the dynamic interaction between resistance and power, which also helps us understand how societal hierarchies are created and sustained. A fuller understanding of the mechanisms of power and how they affect social inequality requires an examination of a number of crucial ideas, including hegemony, the state apparatus, biopolitics, and necropolitics. These theories provide important insights into how power functions and is institutionalised in society, illuminating the processes that perpetuate inequality. The Italian Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci coined the term "hegemony," which describes the control of one social group over another that results from both coercive tactics and the subordinate group's voluntary acceptance of that domination. When the worldview of the ruling class is seen as the standard in society, it is known as hegemony, and it may maintain its power without resorting to overt means. It is important to understand that this consensual element of power explains why some power inequalities are tolerated. The likelihood of questions or resistance to the ruling class's views, attitudes, and behaviours decreases as more people internalise them. The status quo is therefore preserved by the cultural hegemony because it seems normal and inevitable to those who live in it. The institutions and frameworks that are used to carry out state authority are collectively referred to as the state apparatus, a term that French philosopher Louis Althusser explored. The Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) are two categories that Althusser separates. The RSA is made up of organisations that rely on force and the upholding of law and order, such the military, the police, and the courts. On the other hand, the media, churches, and educational institutions make up the ISA, which shapes people's awareness and ideology. Since the ISA works to indoctrinate people with the prevailing ideology, it is especially important to comprehend subtle forms of power since it reproduces the circumstances necessary for the persistence of the current power structures. The ISA allows the state to maintain its authority by integrating it with society and giving the impression that it is the way things are. The French philosopher Michel Foucault coined the term "biopolitics," which refers to the study of power in relation to living things. The term "biopolitics" describes the management of populations through a variety of biological life-related regulatory mechanisms, such as birth control, public health, hygiene, and other types of intervention. According to Foucault's argument, modern regimes control people and bodies in addition to using laws and institutions to enforce their will. This kind of influence is subtle but widespread, influencing life and death and health and sickness through actions that appear reasonable and innocuous. By controlling who has access to health, life, and well-being, biopolitics demonstrates how power permeates even the most private facets of human existence, perpetuating societal hierarchies and inequities. The idea of necropolitics, first proposed by philosopher Achille Mbembe, looks at the politics of violence and death in order to delve further into the murkier aspects of power. Necropolitics builds on Foucault's idea of biopolitics by emphasising the way in which the authority to determine who must die and who may live is used to wield sovereignty. This approach is especially applicable in situations involving great violence, such as war, colonialism, and other situations where the ability to cause death and devastation is the means of establishing authority. Necropolitics highlights the ultimate manifestation of inequality: the unequal value placed on human life. Necropolitics reveals the harsh methods used by authority to uphold systematic oppression and social inequalities by exposing the manner in which certain lives are discarded or ungrievable. Recognising the advantages and disadvantages that various power imbalances offer to various groups is necessary in order to comprehend why individuals tolerate some imbalances while opposing others. People and organisations are more prone to submit to power systems that provide them benefits, whether those advantages are social, cultural, or economic. On the other hand, oppression, exploitation, or marginalisation brought about by power disparities are more likely to encounter resistance. This dynamic is seen in a number of social movements and justice battles, when marginalised communities organise to contest the injustices that are forced upon them. Furthermore, the normalisation of preexisting social hierarchies and the internalisation of dominant ideologies frequently contribute to the perpetuation of power disparities. It becomes challenging to imagine alternatives when the values and ideas of the ruling class are absorbed by the larger society. This phenomenon is known as cultural hegemony. Ideological power, which is disseminated through the ISA and other channels, guarantees the perpetuation of particular power systems without challenge or inquiry. Resistance is only feasible when these beliefs are questioned and critically analysed. Ultimately, modern theories of social inequality that take a power perspective offer a thorough lens through which to examine the workings of society's hierarchies. Theories like necropolitics, biopolitics, the state apparatus, and hegemony provide important insights into the many ways that power is institutionalised and exercised. We may better understand the mechanisms sustaining social inequities and the possibility of revolutionary resistance by looking at why individuals challenge some power imbalances while allowing others to continue. Understanding how ideology, agency, and power interact is essential to confronting and eventually destroying the inequitable systems that mould our society.