ICOM 815 Session 2

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ICOM 815Session 2

• Legitimacy

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What is legitimacy

• Legitimacy as used here has the same basic
  meaning as it usually has but is specifically
  related to the exercise of power, especially in
  groups or nations.
• Legitimacy is the justification for the exercise
  of power. Why are the powerful allowed to
  exercise it? Why do people accept their
  authority?
• All people or groups who exercise power want to
  appear legitimate. If they are seen not to be
  legitimate, then they can only exercise power
  through force or fear which can be insecure.

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Why is it so important?

• Legitimacy can be seen as a form of power in
  itself. If people accept that you have the right
  to rule, then they are likely to follow you. So,
  in a sense, except for fear violence,
  legitimacy may be said to be the basis of all
  power. Think about it.
• Keep this in mind throughout the course. It may
  be that sometimes when we use the word power we
  are really talking about legitimacy.

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Kinds of Legitimacy

• We may see two broad kinds of legitimacy
• The first is where a government or system is seen
  to be legitimate or not.
• The second is where an individual or group is
  seen to exercise power legitimately or not within
  a legitimate system.
• Overthrow of the system is often called a
  revolution while overthrow of an individual is
  referred to as a rebellion. We talk of the
  French, American or Russian revolutions because
  the system changed the old system was no longer
  legitimate. A rebellion just changes the king.

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Relativity

• As Alagappa notes in your reading, legitimacy is
  not necessarily an either/or thing. There may be
  degrees of legitimacy horizontally or vertically.
• He makes an important point. Legitimacy is not
  like pregnancy a regime can be partially
  legitimate. Iraq today seeks a government which
  is accepted as legitimate by all or most Iraqis?
• This applies to any system. Some people may not
  accept the legitimacy of the government or the
  system at all while some people or groups may
  accept some parts but not all parts of it.

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Where does it apply?

• We tend to take examples from nations or empires
  but it need not only be applied to a body on the
  grand scale. The committee of your village tennis
  club is legitimate if it has been appointed in
  accordance with the rules of the Club and acts in
  accordance with those rules. The idea is the
  same.
• Individuals may legitimately exercise power. For
  example, the father in traditional China or the
  pater familias in Ancient Rome exercised total
  power over his wife and children. Is this true in
  a contemporary culture?
• We see conflicts in immigrant societies where
  parents try to exercise power in a way that is
  legitimate in the old country but not in the new
  one while the children favour the system that is
  legitimate in the new country.

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Conflicts

• Conflicts occur internationally where different
  cultures or countries have different notions of
  legitimacy.
• Today, and in the past, some countries argue that
  Gods law must prevail while others criticise
  them because they believe the will of the people
  should be the basis for legitimacy.
• We see disagreements about whether pre-emptive
  strikes are legitimate or whether the use of
  force was legitimate in a particular case.
• In war, all sides seek legitimacy for their cause
  e.g. the US in Iraq, USSR in Afghanistan.

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Problems in ex-colonies

• Many modern states suffer from the problem of
  conflicting legitimacies or a failure to accept a
  common legitimacy.
• This is especially the case in former colonies
  that were cobbled together on the basis of
  conquest rather than commonality
• So the national government may be seen as less
  legitimate than a tribal group or even a family
  or it may lack any legitimacy
• As Alagappa notes, in some countries democracy
  and impartial law may be the theory but, in
  practice, power depends on patron-client or
  traditional relations

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The Will of the People

• The notion that sovereignty resides in the people
  is a relatively modern one which is spreading.
• How do you determine the will of the people?
  Dictators often claim to be acting in the name of
  the people and democratic politicians do too.
• There are many democratic systems and elements of
  democracy in mixed systems it is probably better
  to speak of democratic features rather than
  states being democratic or not
• What is legitimate in one system may not be in
  another.
• Can you think of things that are legitimate in
  Australia but not in your country?

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The will of the people?
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Federations

• Federations share power and legitimacy between a
  federal government and provincial governments
  they usually have a constitution which spells
  outs who runs what.
• Disputes can arise over who has the legitimate
  right to exercise power in particular matters.
• Australia has a three tier system federal, state
  and local.
• We might look at some contemporary examples of
  disputes. Can you think of any? Australia?

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The Chinese Model

• China presents a variation on federalism which we
  might consider in more detail when we look at
  China. Hong Kong is a special autonomous
  region.
• We might also consider Chinas present problems
  with Tibet and the Uyghur's as a clash of
  legitimacies.
• Taiwan is also a case of clashing ideas on
  legitimacy.

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Religion

• Religion is often used as the moral basis for
  legitimacy of a regime. It was very common in
  Europe until recently, remains common in Islam
  and underpinned notions of divine kingship in
  India. China also has the mandate of heaven.
  Roman Emperors were divine.
• Kings may be divine or they may be mortal but
  anointed by God. The Roman Emperor was a god.
• Theocracies exist based on various religions,
  Consider the Dalai Lama in Tibet, Saudi Arabia,
  and the Papal States. Israel UK? Religions may
  be imposed by force.
• Hinduism has traditionally supported a caste
  system which gives certain groups power over
  others.
• It can be a cause of conflict because of
  conflicting ideas about the legitimacy of
  religion, e.g. the USA, India.

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Ideology

• Ideology is closely related to religion. Marxism
  is a good example of what many would call a
  secular religion.
• If you accept this ideology, then the proletariat
  has the right to rule but who is the proletariat
  and how do they rule?
• The practice is not always the same as the theory
  but the theory is used to justify what is done in
  the name of the masses etc.

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Charisma

• Your reading deals with this. The charismatic
  leader may be something like the alpha male in an
  ape band?
• Charismatic leaders may also use religion or
  ideology to legitimate their rule but people may
  follow them simply because they believe this
  individual is the right person to rule. We often
  hear calls for a strong leader or strong
  leadership in democracies.
• Alexander the Great, Asoka, Julius Caesar,
  Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Kemal Ataturk, Adolf
  Hitler, Mao Dze Dong and John F. Kennedy seem to
  have had this quality.
• Can you think of some others? Barak Obama? Osama
  bin Laden?

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Hegemony

• Hegemony is the acceptance of certain structures
  as legitimate. It was originally a Marxist idea
  referring to the way in which the workers are
  exploited by capitalists.
• As we have seen, social structure or traditional
  beliefs can legitimate the exercise of power by
  groups or individuals simply through the force of
  tradition.
• You accept that I have the right to pass you or
  fail you because you accept the legitimacy of the
  university system.
• Women may be traditionally dominated by men.

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Freedom?

• There is a widespread view in modern democratic
  countries that dictators rule only by force and
  that their people are longing to be free. It
  aint necessarily so!
• Most people for most time have lived under
  authoritarian regimes which may rely on a
  combination of force, guile and popular support.
• Consider Stalin, Hitler, Napoleon, Mao, and
  Sallah-al-din (Saladin) all of whom had
  considerable popular support.

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Readings

• Alagappa identifies four elements for the
  legitimate exercise of power shared norms
  values conformity with established rules for
  acquiring power proper effective use of power
  and consent of the governed.
• What do you think of his view? Are there any
  other factors?
• Are any of these elements present in the
  illegitimate exercise of power?

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Readings (2)

• Consider Alagappas list of bases which can be
  used to justify rule goal-rational ideologies
  popular sovereignty religion performance
  charisma politically defining moment
  international support.
• Are there others?
• Do you agree with his views on the hierarchy of
  the elements?

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Readings (3)

• Finally, consider what Alagappa has to say about
  challenges to legitimacy.
• He looks at three theories capitalist
  development crisis of the capitalist state and
  overloaded government.
• Then he considers challenge in authoritarian
  regimes, democratic regimes and Marxist-Leninist
  regimes.
• What do you think of what he says?

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Group Discussion

• Think about the ideas put forward today and about
  what Alagappa says in your reading.
• How is power legitimated in your society?
• Discuss differences and similarities with other
  members of your group.
• Tell the class what differences you have found.