Has the role of rituals in medieval politics been exaggerated?

Nonfiction, History, European General
Cover of the book Has the role of rituals in medieval politics been exaggerated? by Nicholas Williams, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Nicholas Williams ISBN: 9783640339631
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: June 5, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Nicholas Williams
ISBN: 9783640339631
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: June 5, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject History Europe - Other Countries - Middle Ages, Early Modern Age, grade: 1,5, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (History Department), course: Politics and Political Culture in Norman and Angevin England, language: English, abstract: The problems arising from both the term 'politics' and the term 'ritual' is that they are essentially modern concepts, at least in the sense in which we use them today. Consequently, anything said about the involvement and use of ritual in the realm of politics, a word here used in a broad sense of meaning, should be read with extreme caution. Politics, on a provisional definition for the purpose of this essay, is therefore to be understood as the means and mechanism through which decisions concerning the community are taken, exercised, and communicated. A ritual, on the other hand, is harder to define, and all attempts to do so would not pass unchallenged. For the purpose of this essay it will be understood as an often recurring proceeding, with symbolic meaning attached to its outer appearance. Borrowing from linguistics, but without engaging in that discipline's debate between structuralists and followers of Noam Chomsky's generative grammar, the notion of Ferdinand de Saussure's sign theory may help: a ritual itself will in this essay be understood as a sign, the realization of which is a signifier (signifiant), and the meaning of which is the signified (signifié). In other words, ritual here is understood as following similar patterns as language. Letters are of no use to an illiterate, as the shapes of letters mean nothing to him, nor does a ritual for someone unfamiliar with any given society's customs and values. The meaning (signified) has a dialectic connection with its realized counterpart, the performance of ritual (or, in Saussure's field, speech). The ritual itself is thus an abstract concept standing above both as the sign, which is, in turn, hollow if unperformed and to the historian only of use once put into practice and filled with meaning. To round the picture off though, it should be stated here that the analogy is a model and that there are strict limits to it, as will be explained in the conclusion. The word will be used as signifying a concept; a concept which is being contested, and which therefore stands in italics. After this interdisciplinary introduction with the help of linguistics, this essay will try and outline the use of ritual in politics through various sources and secondary materials, sketching rather than answering the question of whether the concept of ritual has been exaggerated in its appliance to medieval politics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject History Europe - Other Countries - Middle Ages, Early Modern Age, grade: 1,5, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (History Department), course: Politics and Political Culture in Norman and Angevin England, language: English, abstract: The problems arising from both the term 'politics' and the term 'ritual' is that they are essentially modern concepts, at least in the sense in which we use them today. Consequently, anything said about the involvement and use of ritual in the realm of politics, a word here used in a broad sense of meaning, should be read with extreme caution. Politics, on a provisional definition for the purpose of this essay, is therefore to be understood as the means and mechanism through which decisions concerning the community are taken, exercised, and communicated. A ritual, on the other hand, is harder to define, and all attempts to do so would not pass unchallenged. For the purpose of this essay it will be understood as an often recurring proceeding, with symbolic meaning attached to its outer appearance. Borrowing from linguistics, but without engaging in that discipline's debate between structuralists and followers of Noam Chomsky's generative grammar, the notion of Ferdinand de Saussure's sign theory may help: a ritual itself will in this essay be understood as a sign, the realization of which is a signifier (signifiant), and the meaning of which is the signified (signifié). In other words, ritual here is understood as following similar patterns as language. Letters are of no use to an illiterate, as the shapes of letters mean nothing to him, nor does a ritual for someone unfamiliar with any given society's customs and values. The meaning (signified) has a dialectic connection with its realized counterpart, the performance of ritual (or, in Saussure's field, speech). The ritual itself is thus an abstract concept standing above both as the sign, which is, in turn, hollow if unperformed and to the historian only of use once put into practice and filled with meaning. To round the picture off though, it should be stated here that the analogy is a model and that there are strict limits to it, as will be explained in the conclusion. The word will be used as signifying a concept; a concept which is being contested, and which therefore stands in italics. After this interdisciplinary introduction with the help of linguistics, this essay will try and outline the use of ritual in politics through various sources and secondary materials, sketching rather than answering the question of whether the concept of ritual has been exaggerated in its appliance to medieval politics.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Financing in life sciences biotech companies by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Konzernsteuerquote: Eine kritische Würdigung by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Green Issues - What are the Benefits of Environmental Management by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book The Economic Impact of Australian Art on Cultural Tourism by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Challenges and opportunities for the innovation of novel drugs by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book The Role of Religion - Tradition and Modernity in Contemporary Jewish American Literature by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Movies by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Ernest Hemingway: 'The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber' by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book German Protestantism and the Spirit of God. From Luther to Moltmann by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Investing in e-commerce for jewellery retailers by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Drawing rings around the world - The acquisition of meaning by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Pharmaceutical patents and medical supplies for epidemical diseases: The struggle in less developed countries by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book Mrs. Dalloway: Modern Fiction in a modern World by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book A Universal Archetype Computer System by Nicholas Williams
Cover of the book English and its Varieties. An Analysis of the British and the North American Sound System by Nicholas Williams
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy