The mechanisms of cult production
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20066419 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xavier Márquez (0000-0001-7653-9334, Victoria University of Wellington, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Pages | 21-45 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-13 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Ruler Personality Cults from Empires to Nation-States and Beyond (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.4324/9780429275432-3 |
| OpenAlex | W3092674050 |
| ISBN | 9780429275432 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This chapter argues that leader personality cults are typically produced by a specific set of mechanisms of flattery inflation. It describes how loyalty signaling, emotional amplification, and direct production mechanisms can combine, under specific circumstances, to transform ordinary flattery into full-blown practices of ruler worship. It also argues for attending to the specific conditions that make possible the operation of these mechanisms, showing how patronage relationships in particular provide fertile ground for the emergence of personality cults. Finally, the chapter argues that both ancient and modern leader cults depend on similar mechanisms, despite clear differences in context and function. I illustrate the operation of these mechanisms with many modern examples and an extended discussion of one ancient example, the abortive cult of Caligula during the Roman Principate
Ancient history · Cult · Economics · Microeconomics · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Medieval Literature and History
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |