Language and Power - Lezione 1

Language and power What is power? “Power” is the ability to make changes or maintain things as they are” Part of the power of an individual is personal, stemming from their mastery of speak → One important power is to control the flow of information because if you can shape public opinion, you can c...

Language and power What is power? “Power” is the ability to make changes or maintain things as they are” Part of the power of an individual is personal, stemming from their mastery of speak → One important power is to control the flow of information because if you can shape public opinion, you can change the power structures that exist. Fairclough talks about two main ways to exercise power: - through physical coercion - through manufacture of consent → the prime vehicle are the public media as they allow contact with large numbers of people Power through dominance This concept of power is primarily grounded in privileged access to essential social resources such as education, knowledge, and wealth. This access confers authority, status, and influence, enabling individuals or groups who possess it to dominate and control subordinate populations. Power through consent This concept of power is jointly produced, and is legitimate in some ways. - the mainstream tradition (Scott 2000). This tradition emphasizes the corrective power of the state and its institutions (judicial and penal institutions). Within democratic societies, power must be perceived as legitimate by the citizens to be accepted. This legitimation process is often expressed through language and various communicative systems. Importantly, while one group legitimizes itself, there simultaneously occurs a process of delegitimation of opposing groups. - the second-main tradition (Gramsci 1971) places a significant focus on its persuasive influence and the concept of hegemony. This concept describes the mechanisms through which dominant groups successfully persuade subordinate groups to accept their own moral, political, and cultural values.  Dominant groups must actively work to maintain their dominance. They do this through the development of political alliances. The more legitimacy that dominant groups hold, the less coercion they find necessary to impose. Foucault believes that our society is a barbarian state because we are not aware of the fact that today power seems more kind but in reality it is more barbaric. We are not aware of what happens in prisons and how prisoners are more dehumanized today than in the past. Foucault argues that power works more like a form of relationship between individuals, which is negotiated and contested in interactions, making it fluid and never fixed.