„Power is always on the move“
Interview with Josephine Ho (PDF)
1. Who rules the world?
No single person or system rules the world. The world is an extremely complicated and contested place in which various forces are continually running up against one another and with each movement triggering a large number of unforeseeable developments. Old customs, habits and values never disappear completely, while at the same time new perceptions and practices enter our lives, which in turn introduces new complications and changes. I am not interested in who rules the world. I am interested in the connections and resistance that produce change. And I am interested in how I, to the best of my knowledge and in good faith, can try to work to create better opportunities for justice and freedom.
2. In your field of work, who are the most powerful figures and how have they acquired their power?
I work in the field of academic studies, a field in which there is a very wide range of powerful people. Some of them control budgets and, thus, research institutions, others have the power to interpret research results, yet others steer academic debate, and thereby impact the next generation of students.
3. Will we experience a change of power? And if so, who will win and who will lose?
Power is change per se. Economics and business seem to be the driving force. But even here, businessmen and politicians learn that they have to interact with culture and desires via the media and dialogue. In this regard, the significance of the Internet will continue to grow. And because power is always on the move, it is becoming more and more difficult to hold on to it (which gives Andy Warhol's "15 minutes" a totally new meaning). This is, I suspect, the source of our growing fears and concerns.
4. Do you believe in a higher power?
The existence of a higher power is a consequence of people's belief in a higher power.
5. Please describe a personal moment in which you felt powerless.
My mother, who is 88, suffered a stroke in January and essentially lost the ability to speak. At that moment I felt absolutely powerless. I think that physical vulnerability triggers a unique sense of powerless in people.
6. Please describe a personal moment in which you felt powerful.
I felt powerful on completing a text that dealt with existing forms of prejudice and discrimination. All the marginalized people around me who need a public voice gave me this strength.
7. If you were in a position to give a single person power, who would you choose?
I am not in any position to give any person power.