Finally, we come to the broadest definition of politics. Adrian Leftwich insists that political science should adopt a process definition of politics rather than focus on institutions of government. He says, “Politics is not a separate realm of public life and activity.

On the contrary, politics comprise all the activities of cooperation and conflict, within and between societies, whereby; human species goes about organising the use, production and distribution of human, natural and other resources in the course of production and reproduction of its biological and social life”.

Rather than confining politics to a particular sphere like the state, the government or the public domain this view understands politics as an aspect of all social relations and social activities. Leftwich further says, “……………………….. Politic is at the heart of all collective social activity, formal and informal, public an< private, in all human groups, institutions and societies”. Politics, in this view takes place at every level of social interaction; from the domestic sphere the global stage.

What distinguishes politics from all other forms of social behavior is the existence of power. Power is the ability to achieve a desired result, through whatever means. Politics is in essence power. Harold Lass well’s book “Politics Who Gets What, When, How?” presents such a view of politics. Hence politic is about disagreement and conflicts over scarce resources. Power is the mean through which this struggle is conducted.

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Marxists and feminists also advocate such a view of power. Karl Marx, the founder of the ideology of communism, located the roots of political power in the class structure of society. However, politics is not only about oppression and domination, it is also a means through which exploitation and injustice can be challenged.

Feminists hold a similar view, but on a different basis from the Marxists. They oppose the exclusion of the family and domestic responsibilities from the domain of politics. Modern feminists have attacked the public/private divide and proclaim that “the personal is political”. They believe that what goes on in the domestic and personal life is political simply because there is exercise of power in these spheres of life too.

Kate Millet, hence, defined politics as “power structured relationships, arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another”. Such a notion of politics has helped to bring to light a new dimension of women’s position in family and society.

The four conceptions of politics and political science present a fair view of what a student, stepping into this discipline for the first time, is going to study in future. While it cautions us about serious disagreements among scholars on the definition of the subject, it also exposes us to a broader view of its meaning, nature and scope.