Power constitutes an important aspect of our lives in society. It is a feature of our personal relationships and everyday interactions. It would be difficult to envisage a society from which all forms of power are excluded. It represents a phenomenon which most people intuitively understand but find it difficult to precisely define. However, a systematic study of power is important for social science because the common understanding may not be adequate to enable us to recognize the diverse manifestations of power in society. The challenge for any theory of power would be to provide a perspective within which the complex phenomenon of social and political power can be understood and explained.

The objective of this book is to critically examine the concept of power as it is embodied in some important contemporary political theories. Among the questions addressed are, to what extent can different approaches to the study of power throw light on forms of power in contemporary societies, especially societies in the developing world, and whether, by drawing attention to certain dimensions of power and excluding others, different theories may perform an ideological role.

Although it is often asserted that the concept of power is of central importance for political theory, it is a particularly elusive concept because it refers to a complex set of relationships which are manifested at different levels of social life. The most visible expression of power probably takes place when an individual, or group, or institution like the state, directly imposes its will on others through the use of penal sanctions, or the threat of using sanctions.