Empowerment

Understanding Power

At the heart of the concept of empowerment is the idea of power. There is, however, no one way of understanding power. Its meanings are diverse, ranging from the pejorative to the positive, from absolute domination to collaboration and transformation.

Power has two central aspects: (1) control over resources (physical, human, intellectual, financial and the self) and (2) control over ideology (beliefs, values and attitudes). The stratification and hierarchy within society excludes some individuals and groups from accessing valuable resources that confer power. Powerful groups have access to and control over the resources and mechanisms that shape social, cultural and ideological notions of what is normal, acceptable and/or safe. They have access to formal rules, structures, authorities, institutions and procedures of decision-making. They can exert control over the decision-making agenda by devaluing, discrediting and excluding the concerns and representation of less powerful groups. The views and meanings of people who control strategic relationships and resources are frequently thought of as ‘real’ and are regarded as unquestioned ‘givens'. Internalization of the ideologies of power relations as a natural state of affairs affects the ability of powerless groups to participate influentially in formal and informal decision-making. Powerlessness is, therefore, linked to the devaluation of their own knowledge by those who are powerless.

The most commonly recognized dimension of power is domination—power over others. Broad historical, political, economic, cultural and social forces inculcate certain abilities and dispositions in some actors to affect the actions and thought of others. Having ‘power over’ has pejorative associations with repression, force, coercion, discrimination, corruption and abuse. In the absence of alternative models and relationships, people tend to repeat what we can call the ‘power-over’ pattern in their personal relationships, communities and institutions.

The ‘power-over’ dimension takes on visible, hidden and invisible forms. Visible power derives from the formal or public rules and processes governing interpersonal processes such as membership in collectives, electoral laws and budgets. Hidden power determines which agents/agendas become part of interpersonal processes and the ability to control (often from behind the scenes) the settings in which agents interact. Invisible power is defined through the processes of socialization, culture and ideology that undergird what is considered normal, acceptable and safe. This kind of power constitutes and maintains the macro-political economy and serves to define the possible field of action of others.

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