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.
Reviews
'This book well represents some of the richness of recent work on ritual, ceremonial, pomp, or whatever other term one chooses to use ... How power works is one of the oldest philosophical issues ... one of its most essential aspects, its self-presentation, is greatly illuminated by the essays in this book.' History
'This is ... a collection of fascinating studies, ranging from Babylon to twentieth-century Ghana, from China to Madagascar ... Professional historians of the modern period, as well as others, would do well to take ritual seriously.' London Review of Books



Book Information
ISBN 9780521428910
Author David Cannadine
Format Paperback
Page Count 364
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 478g
Dimensions(mm) 217mm * 139mm * 26mm