Premium
Must Power Research Be a Political Activity? *
Author(s) -
FALKEMARK GUNNAR
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1983.tb00070.x
Subject(s) - normative , politics , power (physics) , raising (metalworking) , sociology , law and economics , epistemology , political science , law , philosophy , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Steven Lukes has advanced the bold claim that power research is a political activity. The purpose of this article is to examine the credentials for this claim. The conclusion arrived at by the present author is that Lukes's arguments are wanting, but that power research actually contains political elements. Some of these elements will be unearthed in the article. This operation is performed, time and again, by raising the crucial question: does this particular choice by the power analyst require normative justification?