Feminine Re-Conceptualization of Power: Natality of Hannah Arendt and Spontaneity of Rosa Luxemburg
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54741/SSJAR/6.2.2026.359Keywords:
power, dominance, hierarchy, spontaneity, natality, generativityAbstract
Traditional views of power are defined in terms of the ability to secure compliance even against resistance. This conceptualization of power as dominance within traditional political philosophical tradition may be characterized as phallocentric in so far as it is structured by the logic of control, domination and hierarchy. This phallocentrism may limit the understandings of power within political thought. This suggests the existence of an alternate feminine version of power that is non-hierarchical, non-instrumental and generative, even among the works of women theorists that do not explicitly engage with feminism. The paper goes on to identify evidence that suggest the existence of such framework within the works of Rosa Luxemburg and Hannah Arendt, particularly in their themes of spontaneity and natality. This calls for an ontological reorientation of the concept of power to include the feminine conceptualization of power as the capacity for new beginnings beyond the traditional version of power as something exercised over others.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Khoirom Pamil Mangang, Rajen Singh Laishram
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Research Articles in 'Social Science Journal for Advanced Research' are Open Access articles published under the Creative Commons CC BY License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This license allows you to share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
