🗳️ Power Structures, Elite Theory, and Colonialism | Political Science | UGC NET | NET JRF | MA | BA

Описание: UGC NET Political Science | Elite Theory & Colonialism: Who Really Holds Power?

In the eighth lecture of our Comparative Political Analysis series, we explore the Structures of Power, specifically focusing on Elite Theory, and analyze the historical and political impact of Colonialism and Decolonization. This session challenges the traditional view of democracy and examines how global power dynamics were shaped by imperial rule.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Elite Theory: The Reality of Power

The Core Argument: Elite theory questions the true liberal-democratic nature of the State, asserting that an "Oligarchy" exists within every organization.
Minority Rule: How a small minority of economic elites and policy-planners hold the most power, independent of democratic elections.
Unified Elites vs. Powerless Masses: The theory posits that elites are unified by their common backgrounds and interests, while the "non-elites" (the public) remain diverse and powerless.

Key Thinkers:
Vilfredo Pareto: The "Circulation of Elites" (Lions vs. Foxes).
Gaetano Mosca: The "Ruling Class" and the organized minority.
Robert Michels: The "Iron Law of Oligarchy."
C. Wright Mills: The "Power Elite" in American society (Military, Corporate, and Political).

2. Understanding Colonialism

Defining Colonialism: The practice of establishing, maintaining, and expanding territories in one area by people from another area.
The "Metropolis" and the "Colony": The unequal relationship between the imperial center and the subordinate territory.
Impact of Imperialism: How colonialism reshaped the cultural, political, territorial, and economic aspects of countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

3. Decolonization and National Liberation

The Process of Decolonization: The dismantling of colonial empires following World War II.
Paths to Freedom: Exploring the various forms of resistance, from non-violent revolutions to armed national liberation struggles.
Post-Colonial Identity: How newly independent states sought to reclaim their sovereignty and self-determination after centuries of foreign rule.

4. Essential Literary Works To deepen your understanding, the lecture references several classic texts on these themes:

Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart (A perspective on the cultural impact of colonialism).
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness.
Edward Said: Culture and Imperialism.
E.M. Forster: A Passage to India.

Exam Focus for UGC NET & UPSC:

Understand the "Iron Law of Oligarchy" by Robert Michels and how it applies to modern political parties. For Colonialism, focus on the distinction between "Imperialism" and "Colonialism," and the socio-economic consequences of the "Drain of Wealth." Match the elite theorists with their specific concepts (e.g., Pareto's Lions and Foxes).

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