Administration as Ritual

Bibliographic Data

ID6364112
AuthorsCharles T Goodsell (0000-0002-7260-1994, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume49
Issue2
Pages161-161
Publication date1989-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Administration Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3352 • E-ISSN: 1540-6210
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.2307/977336
OpenAlexW2324682702
LanguageEN
Citations received12

Public administration as an activity possesses in large degree the formal attributes of secular collective ritual, e.g., repetition, role playing, stylization, order, staging, and creation of meaning. Three types of administrative ritual can be identified: explicit rites, such as ceremonies and regularized events; formalistic processes, like budgeting and auditing; and expressive programs, exemplified by anti-drug campaigns and rural free delivery. Rituals constructed inside organizations tend to use specialized language and involve active participation; those directed to outsiders employ lay language and dramatic forms. Ritual in administration is unavoidable, and it affects different observers differently. If excessively compelling, it could be dangerous, but within proper constraints it helps to state collective purpose and reinforces common bonds. Administration can be understood, at least in substantial part, as ritual. It is argued here that a ritualistic interpretation of administrative life provid

Administration (probate law · Political science · Law · Public Administration · Religion and Society Interactions

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