Abstract

LOPEZ LARA, Álvaro. Los rituales y la construcción simbólica de la política. Una revisión de enfoques. Sociológica (Méx.) [online]. 2005, vol.20, n.57, pp.61-92. ISSN 2007-8358.

This article aims to show the heuristic usefulness of the concept of “political ritual” for the analysis of political action and symbolic integration in complex societies. Looking at three trends in anthropological theories about political rituals (the Durkheim tradition, the process current and the micro-interactionist current), the author argues that ceremonies and civic rituals have an impact on the constitution of modern politics given that they are the ideal vehicle for the dramatization of the myths and symbols of power. They mark the transitions in the political hierarchy, disseminate the beliefs of traditional legitimacy and structure collective identities.

Keywords : political ritual; ceremonies; civic festivity; civic community; symbolic apparatus; interaction rituals.

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