The emergence of domination

Neo-republicans claim that domination is an interpersonal dependence relationship. Others reply that structures should be more central to republican arguments. This paper analyses these criticisms. Neo-republicans respond that structures can indirectly facilitate interpersonal domination. However, we require a picture of how structures are in place, are reproduced, and impact individual behaviour. I use the idea of emergence to conceptualize this. Moreover, this idea illustrates how certain social macro-phenomena create disempowerment over and above interpersonal relations. Thus, I argue that emergent structures sometimes give rise to systemic domination, where an agent lacks freedom in relation to a diffuse multiplicity of agents.