Rituals of Royalty

Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies
Erscheinungsjahr 1993
ISBN: 978-0-521-42891-0
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 364 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 513 g

Reihe: Past and Present Publications

Heads of state today mark their rites of passage with splendid ceremonial, from Reagan's inaugural to Andropov's funeral. Such spectacles continue to be a prominent part of modern political systems, of varied ideological hue, but their precise meaning and importance often remain unclear. The essays in this book - all specially written for it - address the central problem in the understanding of royal rituals, namely the relation between power and anthropologists, and the traditional societies examined range from ancient Babylon to nineteenth-century Madagascar, from medieval Europe to contemporary Ghana.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cannadine, David

Price, Simon

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie des Brauchtums und der Traditionen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of illustrations; Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction: divine rites of kings David Cannadine; 1. Usurpation, conquest and ceremonial: from Babylon to Persia Amélie Kuhrt; 2. From noble funerals to divine cult: the consecration of Roman emperors Simon Price; 3. The construction of court ritual: the Byzantine Book of Ceremonies Averil Cameron; 4. The Lord's anointed and the people's choice: Carolingian royal ritual Janet L. Nelson; 5. Bureaucrats and cosmology: the ritual code of T'ang China David McMullen; 6. Gifts to the gods: power, property and ceremonial in Nepal Richard Burghart; 7. The ritual of the royal bath in Madagascar: the dissolution of death, birth and fertility into authority Maurice Bloch; 8. The person of the king: ritual and power in a Ghanaian state Michelle Gilbert; Index.