Rites of Power: Symbolism, Ritual, and Politics Since the Middle Ages (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780812216950)

Rites of Power provides a sweeping overview of the symbolism of power from tenth-century France to modern Britain. Approaching their topic from an eclectic range of intellectual traditions, the authors turn the study of politics, social relations, and cultural creation into a single endeavor.

The essays begin with three assumptions: that all societies are ordered and governed by "master fictions" (divine right, equality for all) which make political hierarchy appear natural; that political rhetoric includes nonverbal communication (royal portraits, statistics on crop yields); and that common rhetoric can mean different things to various segments of a culture ("states' rights" during the American Civil War).

Societies studied include France and Spain in the Middle Ages, post-Revolutionary France, the modern British monarchy, tsarist Russia, colonial Virginia, and industrial Germany. The essays were selected to provide methodological as well as historical coverage; the result is a comprehensive treatment along the cutting edge of several disciplines. This book will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of history, political science, sociology, anthropology, and art history.

Author: Sean Wilentz
ISBN-10: 0812216954
ISBN-13: 9780812216950
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English
Published: 03/23/1999
Pages: 360
Format: Paperback
Weight: 2.15lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.00d