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Webers Definition of the State as an Ethnographic Tool for Understanding theContemporary Political Science State of the Discipline

Simeon MitropolitskiUniversit de Montr al ! University of Montreal

Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Political Science Association,Wilfrid Laurier University, May 16 th , 2011

Ma" Weber# definition of the state as a h$man comm$nity that s$ccessf$llyclaims the monopoly of the legitimate $se of physical force %ithin a given territory&Weber '()*+ is %idely $sed in the contemporary political science, there is hardly a morefre-$ently $sed -$otation. /$thors that only $se or f$lly belong to positivist andhermene$tical epistemologies alike0 and from -$antitative to -$alitative methodologies0not to mention different theoretical backgro$nds0 from realist to liberal in theinternational relations and from society1based to state1based in the comparative politicsmay e-$ally claim allegiance to it0 each %ith an accent on partic$lar element2 force0legitimacy0 or monopoly. The -$asi1$niversal $se of this -$otation reflects the ne% stateof political science as a discipline0 a Weberian concens$s.

3n this paper 3 sketch the political science contemporary state of the discipline0incl$ding the po%er distrib$tion %ithin it0 by looking at the different %ays of interpretingthe original Weberian definition. Methodologically0 instead of providing -$antifiabledata0 3 look at the po%er str$ggle to integrate the definition %ithin one partic$lartheoretical paradigm. 3 claim that Weber has ceased to be $ni-$ely a so$rce of theoreticalinspiration and innovation, instead0 he has become a charismatic and $ncritical tool of po%er distrib$tion %ithin the discipline. 3ronically0 3 may say0 $sing his %ords that anytheoretical domination from no% on sho$ld s$ccessf$lly claims the monopoly of thelegitimate $se of Weber %ithin political science.

'. The political science 1 this $ndisciplined discipline

The political science is offered as a separate discipline in tho$sands of $niversitiesaro$nd the %orld0 mainly in the developed democratic co$ntries b$t not only. 4et0compared to other disciplines0 nat$ral as %ell as social0 it is m$ch less a$tonomo$s frome"ternal theoretical infl$ences. /ccording to 5elanger &6778+0 it did not prod$ce a $ni-$etheoretical and methodological apparat$s. 5eing relatively $ndisciplined among the otherdisciplines may be a ca$se for concern or a reason to celebrate0 as does Mc9alls &6778+.The key concept of po!er has so many definitions as there is more than one possibleontological and epistemological paradigm. 3t may be a -$asi1material :thing;0 anintellect$al :approach;0 or a social :relation;, it may be ob

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this logically leads to%ard $sing -$antitative or -$alitative methods of analysis. 3t may p$t the social actors on hori=ontal or vertical positions, it may be a temporary historic phenomenon0 on verge of being s%allo%ed by others0 right no% the economy %ith itsmethodological individ$alism being the most obvio$s candidate0 or bear $niversale"temporal tr$ths0 like the realism in the 3nternational relations claims since the World

War 33.3t the pre1>$hnian vision of scientific development0 each discipline had to have partic$lar s$b$hn &'(*6+ re$hnian and >$hnian0 ho%ever0 have a commondenominator. They ass$me that any discipline represents a comm$nity of researchers thatshare common s$b

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different branches of realism, the international cooperation gave advantage to different branches of liberalism, the meeting of c$lt$res may provide n$tritive food forconstr$ctivists, and the %orld1system approach is still a breeding gro$nd for globalists.When each among them points only to a partic$lar reality to

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every research in a partic$lar case0 a necessary methodological step in any -$antitativedesign0 may significantly miss the target0 based on false ass$mptions of paradigms one1dimensionality.

9inally0 a significant problem rises from the fact that0 act$ally0 there is nocorrelation bet%een the presence of partic$lar theoretical paradigm and its relative

disc$rsive infl$ence vis1F1vis the other paradigms that disp$te the same research field. /tr$e -$antitative research %o$ld try to be as m$ch representative as possible, the periodicals0 ho%ever0 may sho% mostly the entreprene$rial and managerial skills of partic$lar $niversity departments. The -$antifiable fact that partic$lar theory is claimed by ma

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leadership in B$ssia thro$gho$t the time. These a$thors shared the holistic ass$mptionsthat eliminate the conventional dividing lines bet%een political and not political.

. Using Ma" Webers definition of state as an ethnographic tool.

3 $se Ma" Webers definition of state as an ethnographic tool for $nderstandingthe intra1disciplinary dynamics as disc$rsive str$ggle for domination. The Germaneconomist0 historian sociologist is %idely credited as one of the fo$nding fathers of themodern political science. Mc9alls &677*+0 one of the prominent contemporaryWeberianists in the discipline0 finds significant infl$ence of Weber in schools of tho$ghtas diverse as historic sociology and instit$tionalism0 methodological individ$alism andrations choice0 and c$lt$ral approach and hermene$tics. This frankly p$ts almost theentire contemporary research %ithin the political science %ithin reach of those claiming being part of Ma" Webers intellect$al heritage.

This research0 for the obvio$s reasons linked to the time b$dget0 cannot $se theentire Weberian legacy as methodological tool for tracing the relative %eight and

dynamics of different intellect$al streams %ithin the political science. / to$gh choice0therefore0 becomes necessary. Different rende=vo$s %ith Weber in different conte"t0theoretical0 epistemological and methodological have given me an idea of the relative%eight of his o%n %orks %ithin the contemporary political science. / good choice0altho$gh obvio$sly not necessarily the only good choice0 is the Webers definition of thestate in his lect$re :Politics as a Hocation; given at M$nich University immediately afterthe end of the World War 3. /t the beginning of the lect$re he defines the state as :ah$man comm$nity that &s$ccessf$lly+ claims the"onopoly of the le#iti"ate use of

physical force %ithin a given territory;' .There are at least three main elements in this definition, each of them appeals to

different $nderstanding of %hat politics is abo$t. These three elements in chronologicalorder0 follo%ing the English translation0 are monopoly0 legitimacy0 and force. therelements of secondary significance are h$man comm$nity, Weber $ses the %ord$e"einschaft 0 %hich in the vocab$lary of the sociologist 9erdinand Toennies has a partic$lar meaning as opposed to$esellschaft 9inally0 Weber incl$des the territory as basic characteristic of the state.

Webers definition of the state looks simple b$t in fact it is rich in significanceand possible interpretations. Which makes it an ideal ethnographic tool for p$tting o$rhands on the p$lse of the discipline. 3 %ill defend this claim in the remaining paragraphsof this section. ntologically0 monopoly0 legitimacy0 force0 comm$nity0 and territory are parts of different orders of reality0 both material and symbolic0

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governance %ithin this partic$lar comm$nity. The elements are either material0 s$ch asforce and territory0 or symbolic0 s$ch as legitimacy and comm$nity0 or may represent acomparative level0 irrespectively of the nat$re of phenomenon0 s$ch as monopoly.

The material elements0 s$ch as force0 territory and0 to certain e"tent0 monopoly0 as part of a positive reality0 are appropriate for coding and0 th$s0 for $sing %ithin the

frame%ork of -$antitative methods of analysis. The symbolic elements0 s$ch ascomm$nity and legitimacy0 can easily s%itch bet%een aggregate s$b

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Ma" Weber is indeed a very pop$lar fig$re in the contemporary social scienceliterat$re. To ill$strate this pop$larity0 his name0 according to Google Scholar0 %asmentioned almost 6 million times in the digitali=ed books and periodicals that appear inEnglish0 the main lang$age to make social science no%adays. The same so$rce says that>arl Mar"0 another emblematic fig$re for the modern social science %as mentioned

appro"imately ' million times, Emile D$rkheim less than '*70777 times0 Toc-$eville L'770777 times0 and Machiavel less than 6K0777 times. /mong the most prominentresearchers after the World War 330 Michel 9o$ca$lt %as mentioned K770777 times0@abermas L 770777 times0 Bobert P$tnam 1 'K*0777 times0 Sam$el @$ntington less tha870777 times0 5arrington Moore0 Charles Tilly and Bobert >eohane less than )70777times each0 Seymo$r ipset and @ans Morgentha$ less than 670777 times each. This shortstatistic sho%s that Weber is indisp$tably the most referred among the a$thors0 bothclassics and contemporary. What this statistic does not say is %hy Weber has become so pop$lar0 %hich for the p$rpose of this paper is rephrased to the -$estion %hycontemporary a$thors find necessary to p$t themselves %ithin long historic links to anearly 67th cent$ry a$thor.

The Webers definition of state0 verbatim or %ith certain important n$ances0 fore"ample0 by omitting the %ord legitimate or by replacing the physical force %ith violenceor coercion0 is also very pop$lar. The same so$rce gives at least '770777 hits %hen acombination of :monopoly of legitimate $se of force; is searched. 3n comparison0 the>arl Mar" vision of the state as :e"ec$tive committee; of the r$ling class is m$ch less pop$lar %ith less than 670777 hits.

Unlike the other classics %ith strong infl$ence over the modern social and political science0 Ma" Weber has become as an indispensable point of referencerelatively more recently0 after the World War 33, he has become a common denominatorin the discipline later yet0 more precisely in the '( 7s. 3n comparison0 Toc-$eville %astranslated into English almost immediately at the end of the '8 7s and disc$ssed eversince, Machiavel %as first translated at the end of the '*th cent$ry, >arl Mar" en

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balancing the intellect$al dominance of Mar"ism &/ron '(* +. With s$ch active politicalengagement of Weber in the political str$ggle0 there %as hardly any chance of t$rninghim into $niversally accepted social scientist. Up to the '(87s most 9rench left radicals%o$ld ref$se to ackno%ledge the analytical $sef$lness of Weber, Michel 9o$ca$lt is partic$larly emblematic in his stand against any identification %ith the %orks of Weber

beca$se of the obvio$s similarities in their comple" models0 incorporating material0c$lt$ral and sociological elements.The renaissance of the interests to%ard the state and the criti-$e of instr$mental

rationality of the modern ind$strial %orld0 both of %hich occ$rred at the end of the '(*7sand at early '( 7s in the %orks of N$rgen @abermas and ?icos Po$lant=as0 are among afe% topics that help tha%ing the ice bet%een Weber and the Mar"ists. The comple"ity ofthe modern capitalist society that defies the easy dichotomies and economic red$ctionismasks for more comple" e"planations that0 ho%ever0 do not eliminate the possibility ofradical social changes. The Webers :iron cages; that incl$de elements of differentorders0 material0 c$lt$ral and sociological0 provide the necessary bridge bet%een the political engaged research premises and reality that is m$ch more stable than that

predicted by Mar". 3n the '((7s the large political divide %ithin the discipline %aseliminated thanks to the $se of Weber as common denominator, political events o$tsidethe academic circles0 s$ch as the end of comm$nism as %orld system0 also contrib$ted tothis res$lt. Those %ho remain o$tside the ne% Weberian consens$s are no% sit$ated atthe margins of the discipline. Weber0 %ho at the beginning %as $sed as partyidentification and a divider has become a $nifier. /s fre-$ently happens in asymmetric po%er relations0 %hat %as property of one party becomes common property, thedifference %ith Weber is that he initially %as property of the %eaker party before becoming $niversally accepted. @is comple" model %on the %ar against the simpler andm$ch easier for falsification model of Mar". Us$ally0 in asymmetrical po%er relations itis the stronger party0 according to Gramsci0 that offers the common m$t$ally acceptabledenominators in order to keep its hegemony. 3n the case %ith the political science as an$ndisciplined discipline the roles %ere reversed. This %as a reversal of hegemony in theGramscian sense. The political science as a comm$nity0 beca$se of its pre1paradigmaticstage0 still allo%ed for intra1disciplinary political action. The present hegemony ofWeber0 therefore0 sho$ld not be regarded as a res$lt of p$rely academic acc$m$lation ofkno%ledge0 b$t rather as a res$lt of political actions aimed at prod$cing dominance%ithin the discipline.

3ndirect proof that Weber has become a cross point %ithin the discipline %itho$tnecessarily imposing mandatory interpretation of his main concepts is the %ay he is $sedand interpreted, this $se and interpretation reveals still the $ndisciplined nat$re of the political science. This case st$dy that takes the Webers definition of the state asethnographic tool sho%s the e"treme diversity of interpretations.

3n the follo%ing paragraphs 3 make a brief overlook of the $se of Webersdefinition of the state0 by looking at abo$t 7 randomly chosen books and articles that%ere p$blished after the World War 330 most of %hich in the last 7 years. This sample is p$t together randomly in order to eliminate any possible s$b

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is also ind$ctive0 i.e. potentially infinite pending additional cases and possible links bet%een them.

ne %ay of tilting the balance to%ard one of the main elements in the definition is by p$tting the accent on the :legitimacy;0 i.e. on the c$lt$ral aspect of state a$thority.The a$thors that make s$ch vol$ntary red$ctionism fall %ithin the neo1instit$tional

frame%ork0 like Nachtenf$chs &677K+ %ho is interested in instit$tionali=ed legitimatingideas that shape the $se of physical force, Stoker &'((8+ and 5aird &677'+ %ho appeal forredirection of interest from formal str$ct$res to%ard ideas that help maintaining thelegitimate image of government, 5rysk &'(( + %ho links the lack of legitimacy %ith the%indo% of opport$nity for the international actors to press the governments to improvetheir h$man rights records, and Thomas and Meyer &'(8)+ %ho link the genesis of themodern state %ith the legitimacy of the po%er as a c$lt$ral pro

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points %ill arise not from the battle over the relative importance of different elements0 b$trather over possible different interpretation of a partic$lar element %ithin differentschools of tho$ght.

/s it sho$ld be e"pected0 the most $nstr$ct$red element %ithin the definition ofthe state is the :legitimacy;0 or the c$lt$ral dimension of modern political system. This

stream %ithin the political science0 despite some prominent fire%orks0 s$ch the /lmondand Herba &'(* + and Geert= &'( +0 has been largely relegated to a secondary position%ithin the discipline, the most important assets on the balance of political c$lt$re in the'((7s0 s$ch as @$ntington &'((*+ and P$tnam &'((K+ $sed the c$lt$re asepiphenomenona for neorealist and strategic theories0 far a%ay from the Geert= call forinterpretative richness of social phenomena. The a$thors in the sample0 therefore0 nots$rprisingly0 despite their divergence of interests and s$b1disciplines0 act as if they arenat$ral allies against a common enemy0 the common distr$st to%ard interpretativeresearch that lacks the $s$al claims of $niversal ob

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&eference list'

/llen0 N$dith Han. '( 6. :Sitting on a Man;2 Colonialism and the lost politicalinstit$tions of 3gbo %omen.Canadian (ournal of African Studies H3&33+.

/lmond0 Gabriel and Sidney Herba. '(* .)he Civic Culture' Political Attitudes and *e"ocracy in +ive ations . Princeton UP.

/ron0 Baymond. '(* . :3ntrod$ction; in Ma" Weber0 Le savant et le politi-ue . Paris 2Union G n rale dOditions.

5aird0 Hanessa. 677'. 5$ilding 3nstit$tional egitimacy. Political &esearch .uarterlyK)&6+.

5elanger0 /ndre.1N. 6778. :Une science de la politi-$e0 dites1vo$sA ; in La politi-ue en-uestions 0 PUM.

5rysk0 /lison. '(( . 9rom /bove and 5elo%2 Social Movements0 the 3nternationalSystem0 and @$man Bights in /rgentina.Co"parative Political Studies 6*& +.

5$ll0 @edley. '( (. The States positive role in %orld affairs. *aedalus '78&)+.

Eriksen0 Thomas @ylland. '(('. Ethnicity vers$s ?ationalism. (ournal of Peace &esearch 68& +.

Geert=0 Clifford. '( . )he /nterpretation of Culture ?e% 4ork 05asic 5ooks0 '( .

@$ntington0 Sam$el. '((*. )he Clash of Civili ations and the &e"a%in# of World rder 0 ?e% 4ork0 Simon Sch$ster.

Nachtenf$chs0 Mark$s. 677K. The modern territorial state2 limits to internationali=ation ofthe stateQs reso$rces. uropean &evie! 13 .

>rahmann0 Elke. 677(. Private Sec$rity Companies and the State Monopoly on Hiolence. Peace &esearch /nstitute +ran%furt, report 44 .

>$hn0 Thomas. '(*6.)he Structure of Scientific &evolutions . University of ChicagoPress

eander0 /nna. 677K. The Market for 9orce and P$blic Sec$rity2 The Destabili=ingConse-$ences of Private Military Companies. (ournal of Peace &esearch )6&K+.

oader0 3an and ?eil Walker. 677'. Policing as a P$blic Good.)heoretical Cri"inolo#y +e5ruary 718

Mc9alls0 a$rence. 677*.Contruire le politi-ue 0 PU .

'6

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Mc9alls0 a$rence. 6778. :Une discipline pe$t1elle Rtre indisciplin eA ; in La politi-ueen -uestions 0 PUM.

Milner0 @elen. '(('. The ass$mption of anarchy in international relations theory2 a

criti-$e. &evie! of /nternational Studies 19Malley0 Pat. '(( . Policing0 Politics and Postmodernity.Social : Le#al Studies *& +.

P$tnam0 Bobert. '((K. 5o%ling /lone. (ournal of *e"ocracy *&'+.

B$bin0 5arnett. 677*. Peace b$ilding and state b$ilding in /fghanistan.)hird World.uarterly 6 &'+.

Steihm0 N$dith @icks. '(86. The protected0 the protector0 the defended.Wo"en;s studiesinternational foru" K& 1)+.

Stoker0 Gerry. '((8. Governance as theory2 five propositions. /nternational SocialScience (ournal K7&'KK+.

Strange0 S$san. '(((. The Westfail$re system. &evie! of /nternational Studies 6K& +.

Taylor0 P. N. 6778. :The State as Container2 Territoriality in the Modern World1System;0in ?. 5renner0 5. Nessop0 M. Nones and G. Mac eod0 eds.State

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W$lf0 @erbert. 677*. :The challenges of re1establishing a p$blic monopoly of violence;0in Marlies Glasi$s and Mary >aldor0 eds. A hu"an security doctrine for urope'

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