“The Heart Has Its Reasons”: Elizabeth II and the Post-colonial Response
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2022
Keywords
Charisma, Commonwealth, coronation, decolonialization, Elizabeth II, social bond
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468795X221138108
Abstract
Edward Shils’ and Michael Young’s “The Meaning of the Coronation,” took up crucial aspects of Shils’ thinking about differentiating types of social bonds, which led to his distinction between primordial, civil, and sacred bonds, and to his focus on center and periphery and the charisma of central institutions. The relation of these concepts to colonialism and post-colonialism is complex, but the reign and death of Elizabeth II illustrate them clearly. Colonial subjects responded to the same bonds, devised alternatives to them, and accepted the revisions represented by the Commonwealth after decolonization. But they also sought liberation from the colonized mind, and in doing so reconfirmed the centrality of the institutions they were attempting to liberate themselves from. Her death evoked dual reactions consistent with this problematic relation.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Classical Sociology, v. 23, issue 1, p. 142-148
Scholar Commons Citation
Turner, Stephen and Kissi, Edward, "“The Heart Has Its Reasons”: Elizabeth II and the Post-colonial Response" (2022). Philosophy Faculty Publications. 360.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/phi_facpub/360
