Modernism and Charisma

by Horvath, Agnes

• ISBN13: 9781137277855
• ISBN10: 1137277858
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-02-19
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Politics in the modern world is not simply based on the rational pursuit of objective interests; but rather that emotional and spiritual forces are to be found at the heart of political revolutions, totalitarian systems, and media power. The study of this spiritual aspect of modern, democratic politics requires the incorporation of broader anthropological based perspectives, moving beyond the narrow, rationalistic foundations of modern politics, that can be traced back to Hobbes and Kant.

Looking at the relationship between modernity, modernism and the rise of charismatic leaders, Agnes Horvath uses real-world 'threshold' situations - in particular the world wars - to trace the conditions out of which political regimes developed. The excessive focus on rationalism and structure has led to a systematic neglect of uncertain liminal moments, which gave new direction to entire societies and cultures.

Author Biography

AGNES HORVATH (PhD in social and political sciences, European University Institute, 2000), sociologist and political scientist, uses anthropological perspectives for understanding the modern society. She is co-founder of International Political Anthropology and affiliated scholar at Cambridge University. Her publications include Senkiföldjén (On the No Man's Land) (Budapest, 1989), The Dissolution of Communist Power (Routledge, 1992), Gli interpreti degli interpreti (Ficino Press, 2008), and Reclaiming Beauty (Ficino Press, 2012), and articles in Hungarian, English, French and Italian.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Squaring the Liminal or Reproducing it: Charisma and Trickster
The Rise of Liminal Authorities: Trickster's Gaining a craft, or the Techniques of Incommensurability
Liminal Mimes, Masks, and Schismogenic Technology, or the Trickster Motives in the Renaissance
Attraction and Crowd Passions: Isaac Newton and Jacques Callot
Charisma in Eroticised Political Formations
Bibliography
Index