Political Ritual Research Articles

고려시대 나례의 특징과 의미

Na’rye was a dynastic ritual performed as a role play by people with masks, on the very last day of a year. The ritual was intended to repel mean spirits, and also to wish a happy and healthy new year. The ritual was originally from China, and after it was introduced to the Korean peninsula Koryo practiced it regularly. Examined in this article is its procedure as well as its meaning, based on Chinese and Koryo records as well as ritualistic theories.BR There were three stages in the Na’rye ritual of Koryo: first the stage of preparation, when performers were selected and details of the service were prepared, then the stage of repelling evil spirits, and finally the stage of holding a service for Tae’eum, the Great Yin. Na’rye was performed by the King, other personnel(Jinja, Jibsaja, etc.), and the Naja performers. The ritual was held in the Dae’gwan-jeon Hall, the Euibong-mun Gate(of the palace), and the Imperial “Hwangseong” Fortress, at dawn of the first day of the year.BR The Koryo Na’rye’s observed protocols that were essentially the same with the Dang one, which had usually been deemed the grandest. When the ritual was held, the Koryo King would invite the performers inside and allowed the ‘commencement of the ritual, turning his own working space into a ritualistic one. Also, in Koryo Na’rye a white rooster was sacrificed for the Tae’eum ritual in order to repel evil energy, resolve past conflicts and invite a fresh new year. Later the white rooster was replaced by a clay cow, which again changed to liquor and fruits, reflecting changes in the Na’rye’s meaning, from a cleansing ritual (purifying the palace and the Hwangseong capital) to a Confucian ritual hoping for a good harvest.BR Na’rye was ultimately a political ritual, considering there were certain paradoxical elements as well as peculiar temporal and visual features within it. It was a ritual held essentially to reinforce the Kings’ authorities, by preventing political conflicts in advance through a staged act of repelling evil spirits. And changes in the sacrificial objects also signified it was not merely a simple exorcising ritual.

The Interaction of Virtue and Ritual in Chinese Politics

The word "virtue" is the core idea in Chinese political tradition, while "ritual" is the institutional shell in which the idea is implemented into the real political order. As the primary pair of opposites in political governance, virtue and ritual have been influencing each other and interacting with each other from the moment of their creation. The abstract ideal concept of virtue is constantly externalized into a concrete ritual system, and the external form of ritual constantly acquires abstract meaning. Political governance encompasses almost every aspect of human life, and the concept of virtue eventually becomes an omnipresent spirituality, while rituals become an all-encompassing cultural system in the interaction with virtue.

Political power, performance and ritual: Cultural policy as a framework for the construction of political charisma in the city of Valencia (1991–2015)

The cultural dimension of politics is not secondary but rather a constitutive element of its social dynamics and of the logic of power, which must be visualized to be effective. Some authors, including Jeffrey Alexander and Randall Collins, have elaborated upon this dimension: the former with the concept of political performance, and the latter with rituals and social domination. The combination of the two perspectives is useful for us to look at the use of the inaugurations of momentous events and festivities with a new light – as a privileged instrument to legitimize a narrative of power and to create symbols of dominance embodied by political figures. This fabrication of narrative charisma in politics could be observed in Valencia (Spain) between 1991 and 2015, during the long political domination of conservative regionalism. Likewise, this case is a clear example of how almost absolute political dominance can fall apart, partly because of deficient performances and failed political rituals. This fact highlights the fragility, contingency of power and dependence on its symbolic performativity.

Fronto’s gratiarum actio

The gratiarum actio of the acting consuls can be seen as a key political ritual of the High Empire and as an important aspect of the communication between senatorial aristocracy and princeps. The only surviving speech of this type from this period, Pliny’s Panegyricus, has, however, been judged very differently due to a lack of comparison. In this context, it is often overlooked that although the gratiarum actio of M. Cornelius Fronto has not survived, the Corpus Frontonianum contains both illuminating references to this speech delivered in 142 AD in the absence of the princeps and Antoninus Pius’ reaction to its published version. This article asks about the possible insights into the panegyric ritual that emerge from these fragments of information.

The Combination of Political Agenda and Ritual Scholarship: A New Understanding of the “Puyi” Debate in the Northern Song Dynasty

<p>北宋治平二年（1065），朝廷就英宗對生父濮王的稱謂問題展開激烈爭議，史稱「濮議之爭」。歐陽修為首的宰執認為英宗應稱濮王為「皇考」，司馬光等一眾兩制、臺諫和禮官則認為英宗應以仁宗過繼子身分，稱濮王為「皇伯」。最終在曹太后授意下，英宗稱濮王為「親」。本文透過朝中反對者的論據，指出他們自仁宗晚年以來，有著一貫的禮學詮釋邏輯，他們既將政治訴求融入禮學詮釋中，在朝廷的禮儀場域中表達其政治訴求。本文藉此角度剖析濮議的起因，由此展示北宋仁、英之際禮學與政治融合的情況。</p> <p> </p><p>In 1065, as the adopted son of the late emperor Renzong, the new emperor Yingzong of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) was involved into an intense debate over how he should address his biological father, the Prince of Pu. This controversy which lasted for approximately 18 months was known as the “Puyi” debate. The Grand Councilors suggested Yingzong to designate the Prince of Pu as his “deceased father”. A large number of officials from other bureaus, including the Secretariats, Hanlin Academicians, Censors and Remonstrators, and ritual officials objected to this proposal. They insisted that Yingzong as the adopted son of Renzong should designate his biological father as his “deceased uncle”. Eventually, Yingzong was allowed to name his father as a “relative” under the permission of Empress dowager Cao, his adopted mother. Through an analysis of the opponents’ arguments against the grand councilors’ proposal, this article argues that Song scholar-officials since the 1050s were inclined to reveal their political stances through the interpretation of particular imperial rituals. From this point of view, this article provides a new explanation of the origin of the “Puyi” debate, and demonstrates how ritual learning merged with political agenda in the mid-Northern Song.</p> <p> </p>

Textualization and Archive in Callimachus’ Hymn to Delos

This article argues for a new way of reading Hellenistic “literary” hymns, one that situates them in contemporary religious and cultural discourse through the notions of “textualization” and the “cultural archive.” I apply this framework to Callimachus’ Hymn to Delos and show how this hymn became an important part of the articulation of Ptolemaic religion in the context of ritual politics in the third-century Aegean, as well as how it had a lasting impact on the way that the ritual geography of the Cyclades was imagined. Specifically, the analysis spotlights how the hymn successfully links historical and contemporary theoric choral activity with the etymologization of the Cyclades; how it textualizes the island of Kos within the ritual nexus of Delos; and, finally, how it becomes an important part of Greek cultural memory about Delos.

Vjeran Pavlaković and Davor Pauković: Framing the Nation and Collective Identities. Political Rituals and Cultural Memory of the Twentieth-Century Traumas in Croatia

Article Vjeran Pavlaković and Davor Pauković: Framing the Nation and Collective Identities. Political Rituals and Cultural Memory of the Twentieth-Century Traumas in Croatia was published on September 1, 2021 in the journal Comparative Southeast European Studies (volume 69, issue 2-3).

Construction of symbolic equality in Norwegian political rituals

Abstract How is equality expressed in political rituals? How do we know whether we are witnessing equality? How is equality connoted symbolically? Such questions consider the appearance of a phenomenon that, probably, does not yet exist. This article aims at exploring symbolic constructions of equality in Norwegian political rituals from the theoretic standpoints of intersectionality and democratic equality. To achieve this aim, I analyze symbolism of three ritual dimensions: surroundings, participants’ actions and time (use and division). The methodological tools are ethnographic observation and interpretation. My analysis indicates that, in the Norwegian political context, equality manifests in symbols of transparency, openness, availability, solidarity, care, love and access to power possessors for citizens. These symbols are embedded in habitual forms of punctuality, physical contact, singing and emotional expression.

A Political Ritual Without Closure: Serial Liminality and the Escalation of Conflict in Brazil's Street Demonstrations

In 2013 Brazilians took to the streets in a series of demonstrations against federal and local governments that lasted until the presidential elections in October 2018. This engagement disrupted the usual political temporality of the election cycle, extending its ritual logic to years of dispute. This article asks what happens when a ‘political ritual’ does not find its closure and the liminal temporality of the ‘political season’ escalates into a left versus right polarisation. It concludes that there are two outcomes: the imagined collective self‐perception of the nation shifts and the state of exception is regarded as an exemplary way out of conflict, reiterating the authoritarian tradition.

Research on the function of political rite in college students' Patriotism Education

At present, under the background of building a community of human destiny, political etiquette, as an important carrier of patriotism education in Colleges and universities, has new characteristics in the new era. For example, it is more and more standardized, richer in content, and more educational significance. How to shape college students political identity to the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics through the strengthening of political rite in the new era is of unique significance. The analysis believes that in the future, it is necessary to select ritual activities in line with the theme of the times. College teachers should strive to do a good job in the educational transformation of political rituals, grasp the psychology of college students and build a second classroom. Constantly enrich the content of ritual education and promote the process of ritual education by responding to changes with invariance .

Ritual performances and collective violence in divided cities – The riots in Belfast (1886) and Jerusalem (1929)

This article explores the interrelation of violence, space, and public rituals in Belfast and Jerusalem. With the image of being cities of violence, contested by two groups that compete for political and spatial hegemony, Belfast and Jerusalem are also characterised as divided, both on a material and symbolic level. The roots of this division can be traced back to the era of the British Empire, especially to the riots in Belfast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the uprisings in Jerusalem during the British Mandate of Palestine. In the wider context of British imperial policies of differentiation along religious lines and urban separation, communal identities were strengthened, and processes of residential segregation were accelerated, thereby creating urban frontiers. On the basis of historical sources, particularly reports by Royal Commissions of Inquiry that were set up to investigate the riots in Belfast and Jerusalem, this paper analyses how violent urban geographies were created in both cities in different but also remarkably similar ways. Down to the present day, public religious and political rituals, often combined with nationalist and militarist elements, are a crucial part of periodic manifestations of collective violence in these cities. Practices of appropriation of space and a temporary redrawing of borders and boundaries are dominant features of these rituals. Religious ceremonies, street parades, funeral processions or political demonstrations take place at contested sites or are led through areas “belonging” to the “other” group. The analysis shows that these ritual practices contributed greatly in transforming parts of the cities into urban spaces characterised by exclusion and imbued with memories of violence. This paper concludes that ritual performances in public space have a strong impact on the production and shaping of collective violence during riots.

Italian sagre: preserving and re-inventing cultural heritage and community through food festivals in Umbria, Italy

ABSTRACT Sagre are festivals centered on food that are extremely popular all around Italy. In this paper, we have explored sagre in three different settings in the Italian region of Umbria through ethnographic fieldwork. We show that sagre are performative and political rituals intended to negotiate and release tensions within the community, analyzing the ways in which they often elevate cucina casareccia (or daily cooking) to “heritage cuisine” as a form of identity building. Sagre are important social and economic events for small communities, but also for the Region of Umbria, which regulates them and promotes them as instruments of local development.

The Role of the Media in Shaping and Propagating May Day Rituals

The Communist Party of Yugoslavia’s (CPY) rise to power in 1945 was followed by a period of fundamental socio-political changes that encompassed all aspects of life. In order to establish a complete political and ideological authority, the government attempted to suppress all elements which, in their view, were not aligned with the doctrine of the Communist Party. As a result, everything that was perceived as remnants of the old socio-political order was marginalised, such as religion, tradition and customs. Moreover, reinterpretation of the past also took place, as well as creation of new rituals and Tito’s cult of personality. Accordingly, a completely new calendar of official, state holidays was established, deprived of any national or religious tradition. One of those holidays was May Day, which was celebrated for two days and whose purpose, like most other holidays of that period, was to create uniqueness of feelings and actions in society, focusing on the working class, socialism, CPY, Yugoslavia and Josip Broz Tito. Besides, celebrations of major anniversaries and holidays, including May Day, presented an opportunity for transmission of ideological and political messages, most often articulated through numerous slogans which clearly defined the direction in which the society should move. The media played a key role in this process. Therefore, the central part of the paper consists of the analysis of newspaper articles from Glas Slavonije in order to understand its role in the implementation of those new political rituals and social values.

Elections as a Political Ritual: The Case of Turkey

Ritüel, mit, sembol vb. değerler, siyasal ve sosyal yaşamın şekillenmesinde ve sürdürülmesinde etkili olan kültürel araçlardır. Bu çalışmada, 1980’lerden günümüze kadar gelen seçim kampanyalarında kullanılan siyasal ritüellerin ve sembollerin teorik olarak analizi amaçlanmaktadır. Özellikle, seçim dönemlerinde partilerin propaganda aracı olarak öne çıkan belirli bir ritüel kalıbı içinde tekrarlanan antropolojik söylem ve temalar, kullanılan çeşitli simgeler çalışmanın ana konusunu oluşturur. Çalışmanın başlangıç aşamasının Özal dönemi ile başlanmasının sebebi, Türkiye’de liberalleşme politikalarının ve serbest piyasa ekonomisine geçişin bu dönemle ilişkilendirilmesidir. Çalışma (i) 1983-1991 dönemini kapsayan Özal (ii) 1991-2002 yılları arasında kurulan koalisyon hükümetleri (iii) 2002‘den günümüze kadar gelen AKP olmak üzere üç döneme ayrılır. Bu anlamda, Özal dönemi ile başlayan ve günümüze kadar artarak devam eden seçim kampanyaları, dönemsel olarak ayrı ayrı incelenir. Çalışmanın materyali olarak basılı bildirgeler, kitaplar, makaleler, parti liderlerinin söylemleri, sloganlar, reklam afişleri, logolar, amblemler, internet kaynakları, ulusal gazete arşivleri vb. veriler kullanılmıştır. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde betimsel ve içerik analizin temel tekniklerinden yararlanılmıştır. Her üç dönemde de siyasal partilerin, politik ritüel, simge ve mitler aracılığı ile ideolojilerini açıkladıkları ve diğer rakip aday(lar) karşısında kendilerini konumladıkları görülür. Bu anlamda ritüel, sembol, mit vb. politik-kültürel kodların, seçmenler arasında kitle bilinci sağlayarak ideolojik bir ürüne dönüştüğü ve siyaseti yeniden şekillendirdiği söylenebilir.

Las exequias a Mariana de Austria en los virreinatos americanos, traslatio y metáforas en vuelo

La singular y novedosa condición de Mariana de Austria, que pasó de ser consorte a ejercer de reina regente, la convierte en un interesante caso de estudio. Esa especial condición, unida a la coyuntura con la que Perú y Nueva España afrontaban en 1697 la crisis de la monarquía, el reinado de Carlos II, el incierto panorama ante la sucesión y el cambio de siglo, son las razones para este estudio comparado sobre las exequias americanas a Mariana de Austria. Mi objetivo no es el análisis concreto de la iconografía de los túmulos, sino trazar una comparación entre los procesos de localización y adaptación del ritual político de la muerte llevados a cabo en los dos virreinatos, su traslatio a partir de la formulación central en la metrópoli y dentro de un marco de redes cosmopolitas en una cultura global.

Byl li konservatorom Nikolaj II? Politicheskie vzglyady poslednego samoderzhca i ego politicheskij ritual

For the first time in historiography, the article examines the nature of the political views and political ritual of Nicholas II and the correlation of these factors, which had a decisive influence on the internal political situation of the Russian Empire in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The author comes to the conclusion that in modernizing societies, political rituals do not so much reveal, but hide the true political views of the modernizing ruler.

Katyń Anniversaries in 1990–2010. The Position and Functions of Political Ritual in the Polish Culture of Remembrance. Research Report

The main goal of the research is to show the functional dimension of the political rituals associated with the celebrations of the Katyń massacre anniversaries in 1990-2010. Using the method of political linguistics, the study makes it possible to identify ten topoi organizing the Katyń anniversary discourse. They include the topos of “an innocent victim”, “violated justice”, “compensation”, “fair Russians”, “friends Muscovites”, “elite”, as well as the topos of “a shared field of remembrance, reconciliation” (“from foes to friends”), the topos of mutual forgiveness and the anniversary as a special occasion, or the topos of “inhuman land”. The pragmatic-semantic analysis of the contents of media reports accompanying the Katyń celebrations allows the author to show a number of functions that the Katyń ritual performed in the Polish culture of remembrance in 1990–2010. The study of functions proceeds from emotional, through normative, legitimization, integration and educational functions, to the performative function.

Rituals of world politics: on (visual) practices disordering things

ABSTRACT Rituals are customarily muted into predictable routines aimed to stabilise social orders and limit conflict. As a result, their magic lure recedes into the background, and the unexpected and disruptive elements are downplayed. Our collaborative contribution counters this move by foregrounding rituals of world politics as social practices with notable disordering effects. We engage a series of ‘world pictures’ to show the worlding and disruptive work enacted in rituals designed to sustain the sovereign exercise of violence and war, here colonial treatymaking, state commemoration, military/service dog training, cyber-security podcasts, algorithmically generated maps, the visit of Prince Harry to a joint NATO exercise and border ceremonies in India, respectively. We do so highlighting rituals’ immanent potential for disruption of existing orders, the fissures, failures and unforeseen repercussions. Reappraising the disordering role of ritual practices sheds light on the place of rituals in rearticulating the boundaries of the political. Rituals can generate dissensus and re-divisions of the sensible rather than only impose a consensus by policing the boundaries of the political, as Rancière might phrase it. Our images are essential to the account. They help disinterring the fundamentals and ambiguities of the current worldings of security, capturing the affective atmosphere of rituals.

Les “gratis” de Napoléon: gloire et spectacles à Paris en temps de fête

The Consulate and the Empire’s cultural policy for the theatres was torn between a republican heritage of revolutionary festivals and the progressive restoration of Ancien Regime practices, as all the while Napoleon’s personal grip on power tightened. The commemorations of the storming of the Bastille and of the proclamation of the Republic were eventually put aside and replaced at the end of the Consulate by Napoleon’s birthday celebrations (August 15) and the anniversary of his coronation (December 2). During the French Empire, the number of festivals increased with the major victories, campaigns, and other events for the dynasty, such as the Austrian wedding and the birth of Napoleon’s heir. This paper examines the organization of these festivities in Paris for the forty free performances (gratis) during the years 1800-1813 and reconstructs the theatrical programme of the eight official playhouses authorized by the 1806 and 1807 decrees. Each institution mainly chose plays from the major plays of its repertoire, but opportune flattery was still a possibility: we see the theatres mixing the political stakes of patriotic propaganda, self-promotion, and branding. When looking at these programmes, three main trends appear: propaganda plays (pieces de circonstance), national and historical dramas, and plays (both new and old) which were supposed to illustrate the French cultural patrimony and glory. As a part of the political ritual, the “gratis” performances shed light on Napoleon’s plans for the concepts of power, the people and contemporary culture.

Framing the Nation and Collective Identity in Croatia: Political Rituals and Cultural Memory of Twentieth-Century Traumas, edited by Vjeran Pavlaković and Davor Pauković

Framing the Nation and Collective Identity in Croatia: Political Rituals and Cultural Memory of Twentieth-Century Traumas, edited by Vjeran Pavlaković and Davor Pauković