Power from Below: Power, Democracy and Socialist Theory

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorMcNally, David J.
dc.contributor.authorSavard, Alain
dc.date.accessioned2020-08-11T12:42:47Z
dc.date.available2020-08-11T12:42:47Z
dc.date.copyright2020-03
dc.date.issued2020-08-11
dc.date.updated2020-08-11T12:42:47Z
dc.degree.disciplinePolitical Science
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation reframes socialist theory through the concept of power. The goal of this reconceptualization is to overcome the main limits of Marxism on issues of usefulness for activists, of accessibility for ordinary people, of the integration of feminist and anti-racist perspectives, and on its relationship to democracy. By building upon the implicit theory of power within the works of contemporary Marxists, such as Ellen Meiksins Wood, Alex Callinicos and G.E.M. De Ste. Croix, this dissertation proposes a new set of concepts that seeks to overcome these limits. By reframing Marxism through a theory of power, we can deepen our criticism of modern societies: the problem is not limited to exploitation, but more broadly tied to inequalities of social power. It allows an understanding of each phenomenon in their specificities, and linking them back to their commonalities, their effect on power inequalities. From there it also unlocks a more precise way of defining the social alternative around the principle of radical democracy. This theory of power can provide tools to analyze inequalities of power in small organization, just as well as the societal scale. Since this theory of power slightly decenters Marxism from the traditional materialist definitions, this dissertation also looks at the question of consciousness and the role of ideas. It proposes to think these questions with the principles of the primacy of practice and the centrality of trust.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/37716
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subject.keywordsPower
dc.subject.keywordsMarxism
dc.subject.keywordsFeminism
dc.subject.keywordsMaterialism
dc.subject.keywordsIdealism
dc.subject.keywordsSocial theory
dc.subject.keywordsIntersectionality
dc.subject.keywordsSocial reproduction theory
dc.subject.keywordsTheory of the state
dc.subject.keywordsValue theory
dc.subject.keywordsCapitalism
dc.titlePower from Below: Power, Democracy and Socialist Theory
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Savard_Alain_2020_PhD.pdf
Size:
1.66 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
YorkU_ETDlicense.txt
Size:
3.36 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.83 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Political Science

All items in the YorkSpace institutional repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved except where explicitly noted.