Power is a fundamental concept of political science – but what is “power”? From the beginning of political thought, power has been repeatedly reconceptualized and has been subject to a long, complex and on-going debate. Because different concepts of power make a profound difference the analysis of political phenomenon, we aim at making this debate accessible. Therefore, we will investigate the different theories of power from thinkers such as Aristotle or Machiavelli to Arendt, Luhmann or Foucault.
Preparatory Reading
Anter, Andreas (2012): Theorien der Macht zur Einführung. Hamburg: Junius.
Barnett, Michael; Duvall, Raymond (2005): Power in International Politics, in: International Organization 59: 39-75.
Faber, Karl-Georg; Ilting, Karl-Heinz; Meier, Christian (1982): Macht, Gewalt, in: Otto Brunner, Werner Conze, Reinhart Kossellek (Hg.): Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe. Band 3. Klett-Cotta: Stuttgart, 817-935.
Göhler, Gerhard (2011): Macht, in: Gerhard Göhler, Matthias Iser, Ina Kerner (Hg.): Politische Theorie. 25 umkämpfte Begriffe zur Einführung. Wiesbaden: VS-Verlag, 224-240.