Legitimating Identities: The Self-Presentations of Rulers and SubjectsCambridge University Press, 2001 M10 18 - 161 pages "Rulers of all kinds, from feudal monarchs to democratic presidents and prime ministers, justify themselves to themselves through a variety of rituals, rhetoric, and dramatisations, using everything from architecture and coinage to etiquette and portraiture. This kind of legitimation - self-legitimation - has been overlooked in an age which is concerned principally with how government can be justified in the eyes of its citizens. The author argues that at least as much time is spent by rulers legitimating themselves in their own eyes, and cultivating their own sense of identity, as is spent in trying to convince ordinary subjects. Once this dimension of ruling is taken into account, a far fuller understanding can be gained of what rulers are doing when they rule. It can also open the way to a more complete grasp of what subjects are doing, both when they obey and when they rebel." -- Half t.p. |
Other editions - View all
Legitimating Identities: The Self-Presentations of Rulers and Subjects Rodney Barker No preview available - 2001 |
Legitimating Identities: The Self-presentation of Rulers and Subjects Rodney S. Barker No preview available - 2001 |
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actions activity of government amongst Amy Gutman Anthony Giddens Antonio Gramsci argued argument aspirations authority Britain British Journal Cambridge University Press character characteristic citizens claim coherence Communist Concept of Legitimacy Contemporary cousins Crisis cultivation cultural David Beetham David Cannadine Democracy democratic described dimension distinct Dolf Sternberg Eastern Europe elite endogenous Eric Hobsbawm ethnic European Union existing feature function groups historical Hobsbawm Ibid Ideology International Jan Pakulski Journal of Political justified king leaders legitimating identities legitimation and identification Legitimation of Power legitimation of rulers London Macmillan Max Weber monarchy normative observation ordinary subjects Patrick Dunleavy Pierre Bourdieu Political Legitimacy Political Science Political Studies prestige Princeton University Press rational choice theory rebels recognition regimes relation Richard Rorty rituals Rodney Barker role rule rulers legitimate self-identification self-legitimation of rulers sense short twentieth century social Society Soviet sustained symbols tion twentieth century Unwin whilst Yale University Press