As a noun, power is the ability to do something, control others, or cause change. As a verb, to power something is to supply it with energy so it can work.
“Power” comes from Old French *poeir/pouvoir*, “to be able,” from Latin *potere* (from *posse*), “to be able.” It has always carried the idea of ability and control.
Power shows up in many forms—electric power, political power, personal power—but they all revolve around the same core: the ability to make things happen. That’s why conversations about power are really conversations about who gets to shape reality.
The term 'power' in social and political theory has long been associated with formal authority, historically concentrated among men due to legal and cultural exclusion of women from leadership, property, and civic roles. Feminist scholars in the 20th century broadened the concept to include relational, collective, and care-based forms of power, challenging male-centric models of domination.
When discussing power, clarify whether you mean formal authority, economic power, social influence, or bodily autonomy, and avoid assuming these are naturally or appropriately male domains. Include examples of power exercised by people of different genders, not only men in elite positions.
Credit feminist theorists and activists who reframed power as something that can be shared and built collectively (e.g., 'power with' and 'power to'), expanding beyond traditional male-dominated notions of 'power over.'
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