Power and the state as process: Elias’s figurational analysis of state formation and its limits

This paper analyses Norbert Elias’s understanding of the role of relational power within figurations and of the formation of the modern state. It compares classical sociological theories in which the basis of power is the possession of resources or institutional positions with Elias’s relational model, in which power is based on uneven distribution of dependence among figurational actors. Subsequently, the article examines Elias’s conception of the state as a processual outcome of long-term changes in the balance of power and the extension of chains of interdependence. Special attention is paid to Elias’s account of state formation as a transition from feudal fragmentation to modern centralisation. The article also addresses the role which monopolisation of physical coercion and taxation, as well as the demographic, economic and political changes played in this process. Finally, the paper considers the limitations of Elias’s model, particularly with regard to the absence of comparative analysis, the partial neglect of capitalism as a cause of social change and the lack of a hierarchy of figurations. It proposes the concept of fundamental figurations as a possible basis for further development of Elias’s figurational sociology. In conclusion, the paper indicates the value of Elias’s figurational sociology for a better understanding of the present and the future and refers to Elias as one of the most significant historical sociologists.