Ritual, Politics, and Power by David I Kertzer

Ritual, Politics, and Power by David I Kertzer

In the most comprehensive study of political ritual yet written, David I. Kertzer explains why ritual has been and will continue to be an essential part of political life. Weaving together examples from around the world and throughout history, Kertzer shows that the success of all political groups, whether conservative or revolutionary, is linked to their effective use of ritual. The author delights the reader with numerous excursions into the political rites of the Aztecs, the contemporary Soviet Union, the French Revolution, colonial Africa, the Italian Communist Party, and a host of others, all richly and amusingly analyzed. . . . This is. . . political anthropology as it should be, directed at an interdisciplinary audience, and demonstrating to non-anthropologists the vital relevance of ethnographic comparison for political theory.-Robert W. Hefner, American Anthropologist A major work in comparative political culture, this book should be mandatory reading for all undergraduate and graduate students of politics.-Choice An important and compelling book, one that illuminates the role of ritual in human life, as well as the nature of politics. Written in a lucid and graceful style, it should appeal to the general reader as well as to anthropologists and political scientists.-Charles E. Silberman, author of A Certain People and Criminal Violence, Criminal Justice.

David I.Kertzer was born in New York City in 1948. Paul Dupee, Jr. University Professor of Social Science at Brown University, is also a professor of anthropology and Italian studies. He is the author of Edgardo Mortara's Kidnapping, which was a National Book Award finalist. His book The Popes Versus the Jews was a finalist for the Mark Lynton History Award, and he received the Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies twice, in 1985 and 1990, for the greatest work on Italian history. His wife, Susan, and he live in Providence.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780300043624
ISBN 10	0300043627
Title	Ritual, Politics, and Power
Author	David I Kertzer
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Yale University Press
Year published	1989-09-19
Number of pages	258
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.