Power, Authority, Resistance, and Legitimacy

Why do people obey? How is power exercised without being visible, and how does authority tip into domination? Drawing on Machiavelli, Hobbes, Foucault, and Bourdieu, you will examine how power operates through structures, norms, and the invisible mechanics of social reproduction. It is also about how narratives are constructed to make existing arrangements appear natural and inevitable. In a world where the struggle for legitimacy increasingly involves controlling the story, understanding these mechanisms is a condition for ethical leadership. This course builds the political and social intelligence to read institutions clearly, resist manipulation, and exercise authority without losing sight of its limits.