New stories of power that matter | Benjamin Freud, Ph.D. | 10 Min Read

New stories of power that matter | Benjamin Freud, Ph.D. | 10 Min Read

December 29, 2023

All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

I used to teach Global Politics. One of the throughlines of the course was the concept of power. We started the year off with over-simplified distinctions between hard, soft, and smart forms of power. We examined the different ways that state and non-state actors exercise power. We looked at the symbols of power and the norms that upheld power: constitutions, treaties, the UN, statues, rituals, titles, medals, the media, discourse, and so forth. We thought about authority and influence. Power ran through the entire course.

While there are many entry points into the concept of power, one thing I never stopped emphasizing was that power is relational. No one holds power; it is something that takes fluid form in the in-between. I have written elsewhere that agency is relational too. Power and agency are intertwined. Yet the former falsely evokes notions of control, while the latter is mistaken for freedom. 

One question that comes up often in the media I consume is “who has the power?” This is usually part…

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Benjamin Freud, Ph.D.

Benjamin Freud, Ph.D. is the co-founder of Coconut Thinking, an advisory that supports schools and learning organizations to co-create, co-develop, co-stress test, and co-implement ideas that nurture the conditions for emergent learning. Benjamin is also the Head of Upper School at Green School, Bali. He was previously the Whole School Leader of Learning and Teaching at Prem Tinsulanonda International School in Thailand. He was the Academic Coordinator at Misk Schools, one of the most prestigious and high-profile school in the kingdom. In 2018-2019, he was also the Head of Upper Primary and Middle School at Misk. Prior to this, he was Vice-Principal of the Middle School and High School at the Harbour School in Hong Kong. He holds a Ph.D. in History, an MSc in Education, an MBA, an MA in International Relations, and a BA in International Affairs. Benjamin was born and grew up in Paris, France. He moved to the U.S. when he was 15 and spent 11 years there in different cities before living in the U.K., Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and now Bali, Indonesia. He started his career in consulting for Internet start-ups in Silicon Valley in the late 1990s, working with people whose ambitions were no less than to change the world. This experience had a profound effect on Benjamin's outlook on education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.