Building upon the works of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Alexis de Tocqueville and Michel Foucault, this article develops a concept of power that bridges the structure-agency, control-benefit and macro-micro divides in sociology. Using Sierra Leone as a case study, the article identifies three forms of power that are manifested in political, economic, and everyday life situations. It traces political and economic power to the struggles for control over the government and the economic exploitation of the state by the elite. It argues that the forms of political and economic power that emerged in Sierra Leone led to state decay, which created conditions for the civil war. Furthermore, it examines the micro manifestation of power by combatants and ordinary people during the civil war. The article contributes to the theoretical discourse on power in sociology by bringing in an African political experience, which is often missing in sociological theory.
Minorities in the United States have often been treated unfairly by law enforcement agencies. Prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States, Blacks were the main victims of racial profiling. Since the terrorist attack, however, Arabs and Muslims are becoming the primary targets for profiling by law enforcement agencies. There are some remarkable similarities between the profiling of Blacks and the profiling of Arabs and Muslims. In both cases, the fundamental problems with racial profiling are that it violates the civil liberties of innocent people and denies minorities the equal protection of the law. The War on Terror has redefined racial profiling. It has not only led to a shift in the target population, but it has also changed the ways in which racial profiling is conducted.
This article is an ethnographic study that situates the caretaker phenomenon within the wider system of patrimonialism in Sierra Leone. It addresses the ways urban landholding creates a class of lumpen tenants and reproduces patrimonialism in postwar Sierra Leone. The article is based on select data regarding landholding in the environs of Freetown drawn from a larger study of youths and governance. The article shows that in Sierra Leone, patrimonialism, both in its private and state variants, is tied to corruption and economic and political exploitation. In addition, the dependency relationship between landowners and caretakers is a reflection of the unequal access to resources and the everyday application of power. The article points to various economic survival strategies of youths who have migrated to Freetown during and after the war. Moreover, it shows the ways youths build social capital within the patrimonial system of Sierra Leone.
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