Perspectives on Power. An Inter-Disciplinary Approach

Abstract

Although ‘power’ can appear a vague term, the dichotomy between haves and have-nots, the desire to gain autonomy, and the dire consequences of subjugation, are three issues that resound across the arts and social sciences. In this book, postgraduate students from the constituent disciplines use the freedom of their positions as early-career researchers to boldly explore power relations. From a legal perspective, papers are included geared towards human rights issues and violations. Further, the applied perspectives from business and education researchers consider how access to wealth and education, and to equal education, can and must be achieved. Then, interpreted through the perspectives of anthropological, sociological, and historical approaches, power has become a resonant issue among the creations of culture and human interaction(s). Finally, within the ‘soft’ sciences, the very same preoccupations, as they appear in creative expression, are examined within literature and music. Indeed, through the twenty-one articles chosen for inclusion in this collection, distinct in their disciplinary origins, approaches and foci, together the authors are emphasising the many similarities that exist among the arts and social sciences subjects.