What is Political Power? (Theory of Political Consciousness and Integrated Concept of Power)

Abstract

It has been assumed that ‘Power’, following Gallie’s analysis, is an essentially contested concept. However, in this paper, it is argued that the modern concept of power is beyond this primitive definition. In order to understand the concept of political power, one must consider the notions of ‘rights’ and ‘power’. Hence, the first aim of the paper is to introduce power as an ‘essentially integrated concepts’. Furthermore, the reciprocal relation between the concepts of political power and political rights produces what here is called ‘the political consciousness’. Commemorating the complex but reciprocal relationship between power and right not only invites us to have a new perspective on the concepts of power but also helps us to understand the theory of political consciousness. After categorizing the concepts of power, the final part of the paper defines sovereignty (Herrschaft), power (Macht) and legitimate power.