Governing classes
Power class
Structural Identity of the Upper and Middle Classes (name used in the articles)
The common name for the upper and middle classes: they are not two separate classes but two phases of a single class on the axis of will. If the will to “be” the decision-maker has not been realized, it is middle; if it has, it is upper. Hence the name “power class.”
— Physis: A Theory of Power — Concept Glossary
The definition is from the Concept Glossary of Physis: A Theory of Power; the book will be published on Zenodo in October 2026. The English wording is provisional until the official English glossary is published.
Phase change
The middle class succeeding and moving into the upper-class position. It does not change the structure of the governing classes — the actors change, the structure stays the same. The new upper class inherits the structural position of the old one: its instruments of hegemony, its way of relating to the lower class, its potential for singularization.
Physis: A Theory of Power — Chapter 4, §2.2
| Author | Evren Öztürk |
|---|---|
| Published | 19 September 2026 |
| Research program | Physis |
| First appearance | Physis: A Theory of Power |
| Developed in | Physis: A Theory of Power — Chapter 4, §2 |
Related concepts
Governing classesThe governing (upper class)Those who want to govern (middle class)