Tussen analyse en onthulling: Maatschappelijke en politieke macht in de twintigste eeuw

Samenvatting

Publications on the power phenomenon that influenced the author are surveyed, highlighting the works of Max Weber, who was the first scholar to attempt a systematic analysis of power, and Robert Michels's Zur Soziologie des Parteiwesens in der modernen Demokratie ([Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy] 1911). Important work on power conducted in the more recent subfield of organization sociology is discussed, focusing on power-dependence relationships as defined by Richard M. Emerson (1962) and the resource dependence approach as developed by J. Pfeffer and G. R Salancik (1978); studies centering around empirical rather than theoretical issues related to power (eg, Simon, Herbert A., 1957) are also addressed. Subsequently, it is asserted that highly important studies of power structures in modern society have been created in art and journalism; Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (1906), Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny (1951), and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) are cited as notable examples, along with several original Dutch works. Finally, the generally negative reception of such critical works is considered. S. Paul