The State in Question

          The State is a social process, an organized power structure, and a system to which societies submit their actions. “The State in Question,” by Stuart Hall, is an overview of the origin of the state. According to Hall, the state is “a historical phenomenon,” and thus, he gives a historical recapitulation of the way that the state has evolved throughout history. From ancient Greece, to a neoliberal state, societies have experienced drastic changes in the way the system has worked. It is important to realize that Hall’s main objective is to explain the complexity of the state and the necessity of these changes. The state, as Hall says, “Is in some way ‘representative’ of society.” In other words, as societies evolve and the relations between its citizens, or any other aspect of society change, then the state will also adjust in order to assist the necessities of the people. Hall also refers to the Marxists’ perspective that it is mainly the higher social class who is in charge of the state, which is to say a capitalist society. Therefore, having the state represent our society is to resign from any chance of reaching an egalitarian society. Do we need any more reasons to start a social movement? I don’t think so!


M.A.