Tales of power

ABSTRACT

In the form of an interview between two colleagues, this paper explores 50 years of power theorizing by Stewart Clegg, from his early doctoral days to the present day. The origins of his approach to power in a combination of structuralism, Wittgenstein and ethnomethodology are explored. The background to his early work, whose empirics were based on the analysis of conversational materials, are outlined, as well as how it became a publication. The rationale and context of subsequent significant contributions to the power debate are engaged. Elsewhere, the power debate had moved from Lukes’ three dimensions of power to four dimensions, the provenance of which is critically evaluated. In order to exemplify the practical implications of these theoretical reflections, the conversation goes on to address some current issues associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the relations between democracy and elites.

KEYWORDS:

• Power
• social theory
• organization theory
• democracy and business schools

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

Stewart Clegg

Stewart Clegg is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and a Visting Professor at the University of Stavanger Business School, Norway and the Universidade Nova School of Busienss and Economics, Carcevelos, Portugal. He is a leading international researcher recognised in several fields in the social sciences for his work in organisation studies and on power. Stewart is a prolific writer and contributor to journals and is the author or editor of a large number of books on power, social and organization theory.

Marco Berti

Marco Berti is Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Technology Sydney. He joined academia after a career as a management consultant. His research on organization theory, critical management and business ethics has been published in leading journals such as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Management Learning, Organization.