Why 'Standing at the Periphery'?


Shamelessly drawing on Wallerstein's world systems theory and extending it somewhat to provide a theoretical model of UK society. Even this isn't my idea - I have an OU tutor to thank for that. Anyway, I much prefer to think of myself as 'standing on the periphery' rather than occupying that unenviable spot in a hierarchical model that would have me propping up the whole edifice as a member of the 'underclass'. At least I can keep going round and round the periphery rather than being trapped in one place...


Perhaps I am being hard on myself. Perhaps I am merely demonstrating some form of twisted inverted snobbery. Whatever the reason, I find myself in a position of abject powerlessness, a sense of being on the outside looking in. Not that this has to be a negative thing - I feel like an anthropologist playing the role of the privileged stranger. I also believe that it is a truism that it is harder for us to see what is right under our noses. 


Power corrupts and all of that. We see evidence of this all of the time so no need to elaborate - I don't feel the need to justify that one. So, conversely, is powerlessness incapable of being corrupted? Er, no.