Abstract
Building on connections between hazing and power in the literature, we analyzed data generated from campus hazing climate interviews with 308 participants (209 staff members, 99 students) at nine research universities in the United States. Our analysis draws on Lukes’ (1974, 2005) three dimensions of power as a conceptual framework and highlights how each of these dimensions is embedded in staff member and student definitions, conceptualizations, and understandings of hazing. Findings and subthemes for each of Lukes’ dimensions are shared and described, illuminating sources of power associated with each dimension. This investigation reveals important nuances associated with hazing, aligning with prior scholarship that outlines the Spectrum of Hazing (Allan & Kerschner, 2020) and illustrates how some dimensions of power are less visible and more normalized in association with hazing behaviors, while other dimensions of power are visible and likely to be considered hazing. Implications for research and practice are considered.
First Page
72
Last Page
97
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Kerschner, D. J., Feuer, E., & Allan, E. J. (2026). Conceptualizations of hazing: an exploratory study using lukes’ three dimensions of power. Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs, 42(1), 72-97. https://doi.org/10.20429/jhesa.2026.420105