Ritual Aspects of popular Politics in England (c. 1700-1830)

Abstract

In this article the author investigates the status of current theoretical discussions of popular political ritual before embarking on a brief review of the field of study. This includes an examination and an explanation of those aspects of popular politics to which ritual activities becomes associated. This leads on to a discussion of the current state of the historiography of ritual. Thereafter the article examines the context, both calendrical and geographical, in which ritual activity occurs, then proceeding to analyse the components of ritual, (including parades, processions, meetings, speeches, dining and drinking, and including such activities as gift giving and effigy burnings. He also includes a section regarding ritual from a variety of standpoints. These include: Ritual as spectacle (including the deployment of colour, light and music); Ritual as carnival (including satire, social criticism and social inversion); Ritual as symbolism. Finally prof. O'Gorman investigates about the ritual audience, before addressing the decline of traditional Ritual.

Keywords

• ritual político
• historiografía del ritual
• contexto del ritual
• componentes del ritual
• carnaval
• simbolismo
• audiencia del ritual