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34 UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY exercise a decisive influence on society. propriety and justice. We have already It is not as though they are never seen how power is defined in society; challenged, but this happens only in power in itself is simply a fact — it can abnormal or extraordinary times. Even be either legitimate or not. Authority though it implies that people are being is defined by Max Weber as legitimate forced to do things they don’t power — that is, power considered to necessarily want to do, domination in be justified or proper. For example, a normal times can be quite ‘smooth’, in police officer, a judge, or a school the sense of appearing to be without teacher all exercise different kinds of friction or tension. (Revisit the authority as part of their jobs. This discussion of ‘forced cooperation’ from authority is explicitly provided to them Chapter 1. Why, for example, did by their official job description — there women not want to claim their rights are written documents specifying their in their families of birth? Why did they authority, and what they may and may ‘consent’ to the patriarchal norm?) not do. The fact that they have authority Domination, Authority and Law automatically implies that other How is it that domination can be non- members of society — who have agreed to abide by its rules and confrontational even when it clearly involves unequal relationships where regulations — must obey this authority costs and benefits are unevenly within its proper domain. The domain distributed? Part of the answer we have of the judge is the court room, and already got from the discussion of the when citizens are in the court, they are supposed to obey the judge or defer to previous chapter — dominant groups extract cooperation in unequal her/his authority. Outside the relationships because of their power. courtroom, the judge is supposed to But why does this power work? Does be like any other citizen. So, on the it work purely because of the threat of street, S/he must obey the lawful the use of force? This is where we come authority of the police officer. When to an important concept in sociology, on duty, the policeman or woman has that of legitimation. authority over the public actions of all In social terms, legitimacy refers citizens except her/his superior to the degree of acceptance that is officers. But police officers do not have involved in power relations. Something jurisdiction over the private activities that is legitimate is accepted as proper, of citizens as long as they are not just and fitting. In the broadest sense, suspected of being unlawful. In it is acknowledged to be part of the different way — different because the social contract that is currently nature of the authority involved is less prevailing. In short, legitimacy implies strictly or explicitly defined — the conformity to existing norms of right, teacher has authority over her/his Reprint 2026-27