Page 51 - Contemporary Political Sociology Globalization Politics and Power

Changing Definitions of Politics and Power 37

warmth, and food – are met in our societies, the threat of its complete
withdrawal is a form of force. It is exercised where states do not meet
obligations to ensure at least minimal levels of well - being for citizens.
Castells argues that instead of thinking in terms of the relations between
“ state and society, ” as in classical political sociology, we should rather
understand social life as made up of networks. Unlike states, networks do
not have clear boundaries: they do not remain within national territories,
nor do they restrict themselves to a strict division between state and society.

They are sets of interconnected nodes, which organize flows of informa-
tion. For Castells, networks in globalization are multilayered structures:
economic (involving production, consumption, and exchange), technologi-
cal, environmental, political, and military. They are also multiscalar:
global, national, local, and individual (Castells, 2009 : 14 – 15; see also
Castells, 2000a, 2000b, 2003, 2009 ). Castells sees states as nodes in net-
works, where nodes absorb and process relevant information as it fl ows
within and across networks. As we shall see in chapter 2 , the networked
state is no longer simply the sovereign political body within its own terri-
tory; it must now share authority and sovereignty (to a greater or lesser
extent according to its size, capacities, and ongoing commitments to coop-
erate) with other states and with other organizations in global governance.
To sum up, then, contemporary political sociology concerns cultural
politics, which is the interpretation of social meanings that support, chal-

lenge, or change the definitions, perspectives, and identities of social
actors, to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others, across
state and society. In comparison, the threat of using force to impose the
will of some on others is much less common. The threat of force is, more-
over, itself applied according to definitions. Some groups and actions are

defined as problematic, and as in need of state control. For example,
illegal migrants are generally seen as a problem in wealthy liberal - democ-
racies, rather than as an economic benefit, and as a result they are at risk

of being subjected to the force of the state. In contrast, rates of conviction
for sexual assault remain low, though it is clearly illegal and the numbers
of incidents reported to the police have been rising in recent years.
Interpretations of social meanings involve power because shaping and
achieving a degree of mutual consent to the institutionalization of defi ni-
tions and perspectives closes down or marginalizes existing possibilities
with which some members of society are identifi ed. The institutionaliza-
tion of some social meanings rather than others makes it easier for some
actors to realize their existing projects and goals, while others have to
alter and adapt as best they can to new situations. Of course, at any
particular time, the greater part of social life is not politicized. For the