LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:3 March 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Negotiating Power: Maitreyi Pushpa’s The Verdict

Dr. Ashok Verma

Power in Society

The operation of power in society forms the very kernel of Human life and existence. Consequently, there have always been two groups in society: the dominant group which controls the discourse and thus unleashes power; and the underprivileged that remains at the receiving end. Foucault defines ‘discourse’ as the sum total of statements that define a world and these statements primarily involve the question of representation i.e. who controls the discourse in a given world? Be it Marxism, Feminism or the Colonial Discourse, the expression of power and the division of society in two conflicting groups remains central to all these schools of thought. As the prevailing group is at the helm of affairs, what emerges as the basic principle then is that the powerful subdues and subjugates the powerless and it has continued throughout the history of human civilization.

A Tool for Oppression – Naked Power and Hegemony

Interestingly, there emerge two major modus operandi of power as a tool for oppression. The first one, repression is wherein the underprivileged are subjected to direct oppression at the hands of the dominant group. This form of power is rightly termed as “naked power” by Bertrand Russell as its directness is felt overtly by both the groups. The second and more complex way, hegemony, comprises the “ideological state apparatuses”, as Althusser calls them. Whereas repression focuses on coercion and use of raw, force to subjugate the powerless, hegemonic discourse creates a world of willfulness and voluntary submission and “active will”. As it works primarily at the psychological and mental levels and not at the physical level, it is very difficult to see through its surreptitious nature. This form “is multiplicitous, and often impervious; and it operates through ideological manipulation – through mind-games, eliciting consent from the unwitting victim” (Bhaduri, “Introduction” XIX). This kind of power often gets deep-seated in the psyche of people and therefore it becomes very difficult for them to pose a challenge to it. The objects of power unwittingly become a party to their own subjugation and are found supporting those very structures that deny them not only share in power but also pull them into the morass of ignorance and exploitation. The dominant ideology is projected as the source of success and happiness for them.

Any Way Out?

Now a very pertinent question arises: Is there no way out of this octopus-like stranglehold of hegemonic power? The answer is in the affirmative. Within those structures that appear to be insuperable and unshakable, there are certain gaps, breaches which leave scope for the potential of resistance and a new order. It is interesting to note that just like the two modes of power, i.e. repression and hegemony, resistance can also be direct as well as surreptitious. It means that the structures of power can be challenged overtly, i.e., by resorting to physical violence as well as covertly, i.e., through de-hegemonization.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Ashok Verma
Assistant Professor
Department of English
B.P.S. Mahila Vishwavidyalaya
Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat (Haryana)
ashokgverma@gmail.com
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