De-facing power

Political scientists tend to conceptualize power as a phenomenon that wears a "face," that is, as an instrument powerful agents use to alter the independent action of the powerless. This definition introduces into empirical analysis a series of assumptions that deflect attention from questions central to critically analyzing power relations. Students of power should "de-face" the concept by defining power as a network of social boundaries that delimit the field of what is possible for all actors-"powerful" and "powerless" alike.