SOCIOLOGY
The ability of individuals and
groups to make others do what
they want even if it involves the
resistance of others.
(Revisited)
Power is determined by control of
resources.
If A has control over resources that
B needs, then A has power over B.
Michel Foucault (philosopher)
Power is linked to knowledge
Knowledge creates ‘truth’ when it is applied
in the real world which creates more power.
Power relations are extremely widespread in
human relationships. (Not ‘owned’ by any
particular group)
An organized community living under
a unified political system, a government.
Government:
An institution of political processes
that authoritatively formulate rules and policies that are binding
throughout its defined territory.
Exercise an effective monopoly in the
use of force within a given territory.
Force:
The threat or the ability to take life
and cause suffering.
Came into existence when people can produce
some surplus, more than they need for their
survival.
Surplus
Taxation, threats and trade
The role of the state have expanded over time,
in providing security and justice to regulating
activities such as education, medicine, working
occupations, technology, and etc.
Authority = Legitimate power
Give individuals a recognized and established right to
exercise power.
Because power based on force alone cannot last
Only an effective mean of seizing power
Temporary
Costly
3 Types of Authority (Max Weber)
Traditional Authority
Legal-rational Authority
Charismatic Authority
Legitimacy from old-age customs
Perceived as sacred and eternal
E.g. divine rights of rulers
Legitimacy from rules and
procedures that define rights and
duties of occupants of given
positions.
Obedience are not to a person but
to a set of principles that people
agree with.
E.g. We obey traffic police as we
agree that everyone needs to
follow rules to ensure good traffic.
Legitimacy from the
extraordinary quality of the
leader.
Followers are devoted to the
person, not to tradition or
rules.
E.g. Napoleon, Gandhi, Steve
Jobs, etc.
A ‘Total State’ where the government controls all parts of
society and all aspects of social life.
Characteristics:
Single, large, powerful political party (tolerates no
opposition)
A compelling ideology about societal betterment
Use every available means of social control (Education,
media, religion, secret police, etc.)
Examples:
Nazi Germany
Stalin’s USSR
Government tolerates little or no opposition.
Permit nongovernmental centres and allow
debate on some issues of public policy.
Some social or economic institutions may
exist outside the government’s control.
Examples:
China, Singapore
A political system in which the powers of the government
derive from the consent of the governed and
government officials change by constitutional means.
Direct Democracy:
Face-to-face participation and direct decision making by
citizens.
Representative Democracy:
Officials are held accountable to the public through
periodic election that give them the power to make decisions.
Factors that promote democracy:
1. Existence of competition for position of power/ challenges to the ruler.
2. Have a strong civil society:
Groups, networks, and institutions that sustains the public
life outside the worlds of the state and the economy.
3. Have a stable economic and social conditions.
4. Have an underlying belief among the population that a democratic government is desirable and valid.
The state helps society maintain order and provide for the common good.
Four Primary Functions of the State:
1. Planning and Direction
Provide guidance in the complex activities and in times
of crisis.
2. Enforcement of Norms
Ineffectiveness of informal means of social control
require laws and legal punishments to reinforce norms.
3. Arbitration of Conflicting Interests
Contain conflicts within limits and provide
non-disruptive resolutions.
4. Protection Against Other Societies
Centralize control and mobilize people in
the event of war or diplomatic conflict.
The state serves as an instrument for
oppression and violence.
Helps ruling elites attain permanence to the
social arrangements that benefit them.
State is an instrument of the capitalist class
State may also reach outside itself and
dominate people in other regions and societies.
Consist of organizations – newspaper,
magazines, television, radio, motion
pictures and the Internet – that undertake to
convey information to a large segment of
the public.
Functions of the Mass Media:
Surveillance
Beware Surveillance: Informs us about threats. (e.g.
terrorism, hurricane, smoking)
Instrumental Surveillance: Transmits information that is
useful and helpful in everyday life. (E.g. new products,
prices, fashion)
Interpretation
Gatekeeping: Filters information to be disseminated
Agenda Setting: Tells us what issues are important
Functions of the Mass Media (cont.):
Linkage
Able to join different elements of society that are not
directly connected.
Transmission of Values
Portray our society and by watching, listening, and
reading, we learn how people are supposed to act and what values are important.
Entertainment
Make entertainment available to a large number of people
at a relatively little cost.
Source for relief and emotional release
Media appealed to the mass audience.
The media reinforces the status quo.
Values of the ruling class became the
dominant values that are depicted in the
mass media/ Promoted the capitalist culture.
Lack of Gatekeepers
Information Overload
Fragmentation and Isolation
Cocoon Effect: People surround themselves
with only the information that they find
comforting, appealing or acceptable.
Lack of Privacy