John Samuel
What is Politics?
Politics is the dynamics and expressions of power relationships within and among human beings, society and institutions. Power is dynamic, relative, contextual and processeual. Power gets formalized in various institutional arenas- from family to the state. However, even formalized power may get in to different flux and expressions in different cultural and social contexts.
There are different locations, sources and process of power. Power can be expressed in poetry as well paintings; power also can be expressed through aggression and accumulation; through contestation and collaborations; through brutal war and lasting peace and through crimes as well as punishments. Such locations and sources are negotiated by contexts and culture. Locations and sources of power operate through language, resources, knowledge, technology, networks, and economy and above all human will to act and change a situation or condition. There are gentle as well as fierce expressions of power dynamics. Power can act horizontally, cyclically or vertically – depending on the context and institutional situation.
An understanding of the sources, dynamics and expression of power is important to understand and approach political process. Notions like “Power over”, Power with”, “Power to” and “Power within” help us to understand the multiple dimensions and process involved in politics. The most obvious and dominant form of organized Politics is based on the institutionalization of “power over”: power as a means to control, manipulate, dominate and even subjugate.
Such dominant modes of power operate through coercion or consent. When such coercive power construct consent – as ‘common-sense”- hegemonic power-relationships are formed in a society. In a modern and postmodern society such hegemonic power is managed and regulated by the State- by claiming both monopoly of and legitimacy to regulate power. Since State is expected to be the site of collaborations for managing the monopoly claims of power, those who have relative control over natural and economic resources tend to capture the state through either military might or majoritarian legitimation through the electoral politics. Though State makes a monopoly claim over statutory power – through “Rule of Law” and power over the “Law and order”, in reality the dominant modes of power get expressed and operated through the Military, Market and Media. This is precisely why those who control the State Power- seek to establish the legitimacy of their power through multiple negotiations and trade off with Military, Market and Media.
One has to understand and appreciate politics in plurality of process as well as expressions. This can only be done by decoding the institutional and institutionalized dimensions of power. There is politics of the State. Then there are other manifestations such as the politics of the people, politics of knowledge, politics of technology; politics of identity, geo-politics; national and international politics. Such manifestations of politics signify various institutionalization of power within a given space and time.
Personal too is political. There is politics in sex; politics of body; there is politics in rituals and religions and there is indeed politics in language. Politics operates in the bedroom, dining room, class rooms and board rooms. Every arena of human action has a power dimensions and relationships - and hence there is nothing which is apolitical. However, for the sake of analytical clarity, one has to make a distinction between micro-politics and macro-politics.
Micro and Macro-politics
Micro-politics is about the dynamics, locations and process of power-relations within family, immediate institutional or social community. Such micro-power relations get expressed through language, locations, attitude, behavior, knowledge as well as social and cultural legitimation process. Issues like gender, cast, race and religion operate actively at levels of individual , family level and community , through micro-politics. At an intimate level, micro-politics operates in terms of once choices and expression of sexuality as well as the experiences of pleasure and pain.
Micro-politics signifies the internalized genealogy and pathology of power. This is how over a period of time various gender roles are constructed to legitimize unequal and unjust power relations- in the structures and locations of family, religion and community. The most manifest form of micro-politics is the control over productive and reproductive sources. And this control is mostly expressed in terms of patriarchy that seeks to control women- as the most important reproductive source of life and living. Most of the unjust power-relationships codified in micro-politics of expected roles, and spaces- of body, life and life-worlds: in terms of rituals associated with birth, marriage and death. And in relation to sexual roles, pleasure and pains involved in orgasm- and sexual choices.
Social transformation requires intensive engagement with micro-politics- by challenging, changing, reforming and transforming to make it just and equitable. This involves changing language, attitude, behavior as well as spaces and expressions of power within the family and communities.
Macro-Politics is the dynamics of power-relationships among and between Institutions and institutionalized forms of power. Such institutions may include that of state, religion, market and civil society.
Institutions are expression of the grammar of power. By grammar I mean a formalized set of rules, norms and defined inter-linkages- legitimized by knowledge and norms. The modern paradigm of Macro-politics is mostly expressed in the power of the state, governments, governmentality and governance.
The nation-state derives its power from the legitimacy and legitmation of the constitution- with a claim of sovereignty and monopoly of power over a territory and people living in such a territory. Every constitution is constituted, through historical, knowledge, economic, social and cultural process- through various negotiations of power in all such spheres. The politics of the State is often the defining force of Macro-politics. Because the grammar of the power within and beyond a given nation-state determine the power-relationships in all other institutional arenas. The “statutory” legitimation process of market, civil society and religion are based on “regulation” of the power and politics of the state. Such constant negotiations and ‘regulations” of technology of power tend to create cultures of govermentality of power- in terms of legitimation, control as well as spaces.
The grammar of power- within micro and macro arena is often controlled by the institutionalization of knowledge, norms and historical and cultural ordering of life-worlds. This ordering of power is more often unequal and mostly unjust. Such unjust power-relationships get expressed through discrimination, deficit of dignity, exploitation, alienation and eventual dehumanization. So it is moral responsibility to humanize, deconstruct, decentralize and democratize power in all its forms and expressions.
Power can be an immense source of positive energy to create, to seek, to bridge, to build and to sustain. As a positive energy, power operates in an eternal cyclical interplay of “Shirsti” (creation) “Sthithi (sustenance) and Samhara. (destruction). And politics is everywhere- from bed room, to bath room, from class room to board room- in our taste-bud and language.- within our body and beyond. And human creativity and life involves the ability to learn and deal with power- in its million manifestations.
Towards Transformative Democratization
I am a proponent of the politics of transformative democratization: more of a political praxis that I have learned over a period time- through theorizing practice and practice that emerge out of a theory of change and world.
My politics is driven by a universal ethics- moral choices and value premises - informed by human dignity, equality, justice, responsibility to each other and the planet. It is informed and inspired by movements and struggles for economic, social, gender and ecological justice. My politics derives its moral legitimacy from various struggles and efforts to humanize the world- all through history- through care and love; through our creative and committed searches for making the world and planet a better place to live. My politics is about imaginative potential of human beings to influence and transform the world within them, around them and beyond- in constant search for freedom and justice. Democratization is at the core of it. Democratization can only happen when there is spaces for dissent as well dignity: spaces to protest as well to propose; spaces to imagine as well as innovate. Creativity, Community and Communication (through language and technology) are three aspect that make human different from animals. And democratization is a process to affirm and constantly rediscover the potential and possibilities of human creativity, community solidarity and communicative actions.
I tend to think that social and political transformation happen through a whole range of cumulative process for radical shifts as well reformist advocacy: through knowledge, language, technology, and institutions. Hence influencing of such cumulative process for reformation as well as radical shifts is key for transformative humanism and democracy.
Critiquing the institutionalized forms of power is the first step towards transforming the dynamics of power. Institutionalized and dominant forms of power tend to self-preserve through benign or malignant modes of tyranny and terror; coercion and consensus; and “common’ sense as well culture. If not constantly critiqued and challenged, all forms of institutionalized power can be oppressive, subjugating and dehumanizing. Hence, critiquing and transforming institutionalized power is an effort to resist dehumanization and relentlessly trying to humanize and democratize power.
This requires a combination of the politics of people, politics of knowledge, and politics of communication to challenge the dominating forms of power: whether it is the power of the state or power of the market or power of mafia.
My mission is to constantly work towards the humanization and democratization of structures and institutions of power through contestation, collaboration and cooperative action and communicative action - based on value of justice, freedom and equality of human persons. Such an approach seeks to bridge between the Ideal and Real. It may involve working in, working with and working beyond the institutionalized forms of power, without compromising the values of transformation.
I believe that every human action and institution needs to be historicized, problematised, politicized and democratized. Critical transformative approach involves consistent and constant critique of power and a commitment to challenge unjust power-relationship so as to humanize and democratize people, society, knowledge and institutions. Critical transformist approach to politics involves working within institution and working beyond institutions; such an approach involves resisting, engaging and persuading power-relationships to ensure justice as fairness and human dignity as the right to live in freedom.
There is a tendency of those in controlling the nodal locations of power to monopolize power- through claims of sovereignty. This monopolization of power to control natural, productive and reproductive resources, through ‘discipline” and promises of “security”, are at the root of unjust politics both in its micro and macro expressions.
So politics for me involves challenging and changing monopolization of power, and injustice that is inherent in such unequal and unjust power relationship. Politics for me challenging and changing unjust power-relationships to ensure a life of dignity, choices and freedom to all human beings. Politics for me is all about humanizing life-worlds as well quest for justice- towards sustainable, just and democratic society, governance and futures.
Politics for me is the democratization of power, knowledge, technology and language. Politics for me is the celebration of human dignity- through asserting and demanding human rights. Politics for me is to make change happen towards a just, sustainable, responsible world- without poverty and war. Politics for me is to fight injustice, exclusion, marginalization and dehumanization.
Politics for me is to take responsibility to imagine and suggest alternatives to unjust power-relationships. Politics for me is to imagine a utopia- a world without poverty and injustice where every person can live a life of dignity, freedom, enjoyment and responsibility. Politics for me is to listen to the voice of the last person. Politics for me is when every person can celebrate her/his dignity and right to dissent and development. Politics for me is to make market work for the people- not the other way around. Politics for is to accountability from all power-holders , State, Market and civil society. Politics for me is all about sovereignty of people- citizens- and the democratization of at levels of human action and institutions.
Politics for me is the courage of conviction to ensure sustainability of our planet, people, and eternal dreams for a joyful and justful world
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