Suchergebnisse

The main themes of this book are prefigured in Gianfranco Poggi's two significant earlier works on the rise and character of the modern state: The Development of the Modern State: A Sociological Introduction, 1978, and The State: Its Nature, Development, and Prospects, 1990, (especially in the first chapter of the latter). In connection with his discussion of state formation, Poggi put forward the view that political power is one particular form of social power and is distinguished from other types of social power by its control of the means of violence. In the current work, Poggi undertakes the considerable task of explicating power in its various forms. He abstracts the concept of power from the historical context of his previous works and, with characteristic lucidity, details the various forms of social power and their interrelations.

A number of sexual harassment scandals in the United States armed forces have come to public attention in recent years. Commentators on these scandals have suggested that the incidents are not anomalous, but reflect an institutional culture that generates hostility toward women. The military culture, it is supposed, fosters aggression that is turned against female service members. This article questions such views of the military. It examines the activity of war and its requisites and shows that the military does not foster individual aggression since this quality is, ironically, ineffectual for organized warfare. The examination of gender integration in the armed forces, which follows, brings the complex and multifaceted character of women's involvement in the military into view. Certain aspects of the military culture, the article shows, are congenial to servicewomen and facilitate their often-overlooked successes in this institution.