POWER AND THE LANGUAGE OF

MENScott Fabius Kiesling

1997

Chapter 32

Outline of the framework of power used in Kielsing’s analysis

The specific ideology of power at work in the fraternity

Constraints the community/fraternity places on member's identity of self

Illustrate how men draw upon and construct different types of power through their use of language

Types of

Power

PHYSICAL POWERis either

Coercive-power like a mugger

Ability-action made possible by physical

ability or skill

ECONOMIC POWERprocess that rewards one

action with the possibility of another

example:labor/work then purchase

goods

KNOWLEDGE POWERprocess of gaining knowledge in order

to perform an action

STRUCTURAL POWERthe power of a place

within a structure

for example within a hierarchy

NURTURANT POWERthe process of

helping anotherfor example by

teaching or feeding

DEMEANOR POWERthe power of

solidarity, moral authority,

being liked, being a "good guy"

IDEOLOGICAL POWERMost Important

A “defining process“ where individuals evaluate the other types of

power processes through the ideological process

Ratifies certain traits as powerfulIdentifies others and the roles

in the community

Power is an etic framework filled in

by emic values

"Ideology Power" in a Fraternity

the way a man presents himself within a

fraternity is of ultimate importance because he becomes a member of

and gains status in fraternity by projecting

the right kind of identity

ΓΧΦWe’re all in college, no

need for me to explain how fraternities and sororities

work

pledges, nibs, hierarchyown set of values etc, etc

Data Analysis: Power and Identity in

Practice through their use of

mitigation, mood, pronoun use, and personal

experience

4 guys each orient towards different processes of

power

many men in US construct powerful, competitive

identities

workplace and family roles may be the specifics we

use to define masculinity and femininity

these men demonstrated

that by adopting archetypal

male roles: loyal friend

concerned fatherwise elder

pragmatic individualist Yet each sought affirmation from

the same Ideological group AKA

THE FRATERNITY