Charisma and Authority
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Xavier Marquez
Abstract
This chapter explores the connections between the idea of charisma and the idea of authority, including the ways in which social, political, and economic changes affected the ‘staging’ of charismatic authority starting in modern times. It begins by briefly sketching the religious genealogy of the idea of charisma, from its origins in Pauline theology to its usage by German theologians in the nineteenth century. It then presents a detailed account of Weber’s paradigmatic account of charisma, stressing the ways in which he appropriated and secularized what was until then essentially a religious concept with little applicability outside of theological polemics. Weber’s main conceptual innovation was to connect charisma to authority, and thus to the recognition by others of exceptional qualities demanding obedience, independent of their religious content. Charisma must nevertheless be distinguished from a number of superficially similar concepts, including celebrity, prestige, fame, and popularity, insofar as concepts like celebrity or fame do not have the same connection to authority even if they grant influence or cultural prestige. But charismatic authority, like all authority, needs to be staged to reach any group larger than a few people; and the technologies available to represent charisma and decode such representations changed immensely over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Changes in the economy, society, and politics also produced new sources of ‘charismatic competition,’ as industrial leaders, artists, and demagogues could and did make claims to authority based on charismatic claims that sometimes conflicted with the routinized charisma of traditional monarchs. The final section of the chapter systematically explores the ways in which these changes affected the staging of charismatic authority in the last two centuries.
Abstract
This chapter explores the connections between the idea of charisma and the idea of authority, including the ways in which social, political, and economic changes affected the ‘staging’ of charismatic authority starting in modern times. It begins by briefly sketching the religious genealogy of the idea of charisma, from its origins in Pauline theology to its usage by German theologians in the nineteenth century. It then presents a detailed account of Weber’s paradigmatic account of charisma, stressing the ways in which he appropriated and secularized what was until then essentially a religious concept with little applicability outside of theological polemics. Weber’s main conceptual innovation was to connect charisma to authority, and thus to the recognition by others of exceptional qualities demanding obedience, independent of their religious content. Charisma must nevertheless be distinguished from a number of superficially similar concepts, including celebrity, prestige, fame, and popularity, insofar as concepts like celebrity or fame do not have the same connection to authority even if they grant influence or cultural prestige. But charismatic authority, like all authority, needs to be staged to reach any group larger than a few people; and the technologies available to represent charisma and decode such representations changed immensely over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Changes in the economy, society, and politics also produced new sources of ‘charismatic competition,’ as industrial leaders, artists, and demagogues could and did make claims to authority based on charismatic claims that sometimes conflicted with the routinized charisma of traditional monarchs. The final section of the chapter systematically explores the ways in which these changes affected the staging of charismatic authority in the last two centuries.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Staging Authority: Introduction 1
-
Traditional and New Forms of Authority
- Charisma and Authority 27
- Napoleon III: The ‘People’s King’ 51
-
The Diversification of Authority: New Actors among Old Elites
- The Social Promise of Scientific Progress: Technical Experts and the Quest for Authority 91
- Clergy, Mystics, and Religious Leaders 125
- Mass Media: Intimacy at a Distance 155
-
Presenting Authority on the Political Stage
- Architecture, Space, and Emotions: Forging Connections between Government and Public 191
- Parliamentary Authority and British Political Culture in the Long Nineteenth Century 225
- Monarchical Entries in Nineteenth-Century Germany: Emperor Wilhelm I, 1848-1888 259
-
Nationalism and Empire as Modes of Hegemony
- Mapping Empire 303
- Imperial Reach: European Explorers and Imperial Agents in the Middle East 339
- Modern Monarchic Visibility in Eurasian Empires 363
-
Taking Possession of Public Spaces
- Civil Society and the Embodiment of Authority 395
- Cultural Tourism and Royal Tours: Possession and Place-Making 417
- Uncivilized and Noisy: Disciplining Listening in Nineteenth-Century Colombian Cities 455
- List of Illustrations 487
- Authors’ Biographies 491
- Index 495
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Staging Authority: Introduction 1
-
Traditional and New Forms of Authority
- Charisma and Authority 27
- Napoleon III: The ‘People’s King’ 51
-
The Diversification of Authority: New Actors among Old Elites
- The Social Promise of Scientific Progress: Technical Experts and the Quest for Authority 91
- Clergy, Mystics, and Religious Leaders 125
- Mass Media: Intimacy at a Distance 155
-
Presenting Authority on the Political Stage
- Architecture, Space, and Emotions: Forging Connections between Government and Public 191
- Parliamentary Authority and British Political Culture in the Long Nineteenth Century 225
- Monarchical Entries in Nineteenth-Century Germany: Emperor Wilhelm I, 1848-1888 259
-
Nationalism and Empire as Modes of Hegemony
- Mapping Empire 303
- Imperial Reach: European Explorers and Imperial Agents in the Middle East 339
- Modern Monarchic Visibility in Eurasian Empires 363
-
Taking Possession of Public Spaces
- Civil Society and the Embodiment of Authority 395
- Cultural Tourism and Royal Tours: Possession and Place-Making 417
- Uncivilized and Noisy: Disciplining Listening in Nineteenth-Century Colombian Cities 455
- List of Illustrations 487
- Authors’ Biographies 491
- Index 495
