Power and Anti-Power (IV-V) [Poder y anti-poder (IV-V)] (Spanish)
Erasmus: Revista para el Diálogo Intercultural, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 133-180, 2008
48 Pages Posted: 5 Nov 2010 Last revised: 15 Nov 2010
Date Written: 2008
Abstract
This work is a critical analysis of the notions of power and anti-power. The study is divided into five parts. The first part examines the relation between power and antipower in epistemological terms, showing that the moment of negation represents a crucial element in the construction of critical thought. The second part offers a brief revision of classical Marxist theory, which interprets the concepts of power and antipower mainly in relation to the concept of structure. The third part suggests that it is necessary to overcome the limitations of classical theories of power in order to recognise that both the strength of power and the strength of anti-power depend on their capacity to penetrate our subjectivity. The fourth part argues that a critical theory of power and anti-power must account for the destructive force of alienation if it seeks to comprehend the quotidian reality of domination. The fifth part explores the importance of the dialectics between power and anti-power for the possibility of social revolution.
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Keywords: alienation, anti-power, critical theory, critique, dialectics, domination, epistemology, Foucault, Holloway, Marxism, negation, power, revolution, structure, struggle, subjectivity
JEL Classification: B30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation