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Short Essay (Read both Step 1 and Step 2; The end result of this essay will be a
Short Essay (Read both Step 1 and Step 2; The end result of this essay will be about 2 paragraphs long)
Step 1: Read the following description about the State and Power:
Power is often described as the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence—either one’s own or that of a group or institution. This may include the ability to influence through force or the threat of force. Power is embedded in many kinds of social relations, from interpersonal relations, to institutions, to structural frameworks of whole societies. Power is deeply embedded in culture, including systems of power such as race and racism, ethnicity and nationalism, gender, human sexuality, economics, and family.
All human relationships have a power dynamic. Though cultures are often assumed to be composed of groups of similar people who uniformly share norms and values, in reality people in a given culture are usually diverse and their relationships are complicated. Power in a culture reflects stratification—uneven distribution of resources and privileges—among participants. Some people are drawn into the center of the culture. Others are ignored, marginalized, or even annihilated. Power may be stratified along lines of gender, racial or ethnic group, class, age, family, religion, sexuality, or legal status.
When considering political power in relationship to the state, anthropologists examine how the state becomes the ultimate authority within a particular territory. While overt means of coercion, like police and the military, may appear to be the most obvious answers, the exertion of authority by the state is a much more complicated matter. Anthropologists suggest that the state becomes real in the imaginations and experiences of people as it is encountered in a particular space, encompasses all aspects of culture, and stands above all other elements of society—is produced through mundane bureaucratic state practices. The state is encountered in everyday acts of governance: mail delivery, tax collection, mapping, surveys, passport issuance, jury duty, voting notarization, distribution of food to the poor, distribution of pension checks to the elderly. Through these routine and repetitive acts, the state comes to feel all-encompassing and overarching.
Step 2: Think about how the State relates to your own lives. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS: I want you to think about how the State is real in your life. Over the course of a couple of days, keep in mind this idea of the State–keep track (on paper or in your mind) of the ways you encounter the power of the state—federal, state, and local—in any given day. Below are some categories of how we interact with the State–feel free to read all of these before doing your own reflections to get started on this topic. When you are ready to write, describe how you interact with TWO of the following categories (of your choice). Answer the questions in each category and make sure your answers for each category are at least one paragraph long. CATEGORIES (choose 2 to explore for your essay response):
FOOD: How does the state regulate and shape the food you eat? Are there labels on your food that indicate the presence of the state? What do they say? If you eat out, how does the state regulate the restaurant, its food preparation, and its employees? What role does the state play in regulating trash disposal or recycling?
PEOPLE: Note the public employees you encounter in a day. Are they wearing uniforms? How does their job shape and influence your life? Were there more public employees in your life than you expected or fewer?
TRANSPORTATION: When you are traveling around your city or town, observe the ways the state shapes your experience. What kinds of signs, rules, and fees do you encounter? What investment has the state made in transportation infrastructure like roads, stoplights, buses, or trains?
SCHOOL: How does the state shape your school experience? What role does the state play in determining what you are taught? What role does the state have in how you pay for your education? What funding does the local, state, or federal government provide your school?
INFRASTRUCTURE: How does the state support your daily needs like water, electricity, trash removal, clean streets, and public safety?
PUBLIC AGENCIES: Describe local, state, and federal agencies and offices that shape your day.
SOCIAL LIFE: How does the state shape your social life? Consider age restrictions or other regulation of activities like driving, drinking, marijuana use, sex, and marriage.
MEDIA: What is the state’s role in media like television, radio, the internet, news, or social media?
SAFETY: What role does the state play in ensuring your safety, and how do you encounter the over the course of the day? How is your life shaped by police, firefighters, fire codes, gun laws, environmental protections, school security, or other people or regulations?
ABSENCE: In what aspects of your life do you feel the state is absent? Is this beneficial or detrimental? How would a stronger state presence change this part of your life?
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