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In anthropology, as much as in the current popular imagination, kings remain figures of fascination and intrigue. As the cliché goes, kings continue to die spectacular deaths only to remain subjects of vitality and long life. This collection of essays by a teacher and his student ? two of the world?s most distinguished anthropologists? explores what kingship actually is, historically and anthropologically. The divine, the stranger, the numinous, the bestial?the implications for understanding kings and their sacred office are not limited to questions of sovereignty, but issues ranging from temporality and alterity to piracy and utopia; indeed, the authors argue that kingship offers us a unique window into the fundamental dilemmas concerning the very nature of power, meaning, and the human condition. With the wit and sharp analysis characteristic of these two thinkers, this volume opens up new avenues for how an anthropological study of kingship might proceed in the 21st century

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a 1964 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, was an ordained minister, gifted orator, and charismatic leader who championed African Americans, civil rights, moral courage, and a truly free America. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 at age 39, but not before he had changed the world with his inspirational wisdom and words

The life, dramatic reign, and enduring legacy of the pharaoh Ramesses the Great, with lessons for the present, from internationally acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson Ramesses II ruled the Nile Valley and the wider Egyptian empire from 1279 to 1213 B.C., one of the longest reigns in pharaonic history. He was a cultural innovator, a relentless self-promoter, and an astute diplomat--the peace treaty signed after the Battle of Kadesh was the first in recorded history. He outbuilt every other Egyptian pharaoh, leaving behind the temples of Abu Simbel; the great hypostyle hall of Karnak; the tomb for his wife Nefertari; and his own memorial, the Ramesseum. His reputation eclipsed that of all other pharaohs as well: he was decried in the Bible as a despot, famed in literature as Ozymandias, and lauded by early antiquarians as the Younger Memnon. His rule coincided with the peak of ancient Egypt's power and prosperity, the New Kingdom (1539-1069 B.C.). In this authoritative biography, Toby Wilkinson considers Ramesses' preoccupations and preferences, uncovering the methods and motivations of a megalomaniac ruler, with lessons for our own time

00_Cover -- 00_Intro -- 00a_FM -- 00b_Analytical_TOC -- 01_Preface -- 02_Introduction -- 03_Chapter 1 -- 04_Chapter 2 -- 05_Chapter 3 -- 06_Chapter 4 -- 07_Chapter 5 -- 08_Chapter 6 -- 09_Chapter 7 -- 10_Bibliography -- 11_Backmatter -- 12_Backmatter_1 -- 13_Backcover

The Swedish King Gustav III ruled from 1771 to 1792. His departure to the Russian war in1788 was staged as a grandiose spectacle. The King, who was also a playwright, made the dayof his departure coincide with the symbolic date of June 23. This was the date that Gustav IIAdolph (ruled 1611-32) went off to the Thirty Years' War in 1628. The parallel betweenGustav III and the great Swedish warrior King was further emphasized by his costume made inthe style of Gustav Adolph. In this article, the author analyzes Gustav III's departure to war as atheatrical event and explores the borders of theatrical events in the late eighteenth century.Gustav III's ceremonial departure is placed in the framework of Nikolai Evreinov's and YuriLotman's theories of theatricality which show how the King applied theatrical means toeveryday life in order to theatricalize it, i.e. to make it spectacular and symbolic. Bythe atricalizing life Gustav III idealized his role of king and thus performed his power.Theatricalization of political life not only adorned life but it also significantly changed reality;the theatrical playing of the King entailed real consequences - Gustav III enacted his role of amonarch in a memorabl eway and achieved his political goals. The interaction between politicsand theater is the main focus of the article. The author also explores the poetics of theatricalplaying in politics. Obviously, the relation between the King-performer and hissubjects-spectators was different from the usual actor-spectator relation in the traditionaltheater. During the communication of the King-performer and his subjects-spectators thepolitical context was of significant importance; the main purpose of such communication waspolitical propaganda. As a result of his ceremonial departure and, eventually, thetheatricalization of war, the King succeded in becoming a national hero among the simplepeople, which proves the efficacy of theatrical means.