Rituals and symbols in politics

Ritual is conceived of as indispensable to religious and royal occasions but tangential to politics by scholars and participants alike. Five distinct kinds of ritual tend be required to make politics work: elections, conferences, informal meetings, decision-making and ceremonies of state. This chapter focuses on parliamentary decision-making and ceremonies of state, before returning to broader questions about political ritual. Ritual can only be studied properly by watching and, even better, participating, to get a sense of how the political, cultural and emotional co-exist. Developing the skill of performing in rituals is important for establishing credibility. The performance of riffs and the rhythms of ritualising law-making vary hugely from place to place. The ritualisation of decision-making is the process for the alchemical transformation of an idea via a text into a policy, a regulation or a law. It is rituals that organise the riffs and rhythms of political work into processes that create meaning and power.

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