Charismatic Leaders And Trickster Case Study

Max Weber introduced the term charisma into social theory and political sociology. This was complimented in lectures with the anthropologically derived term ‘trickster’. In what way are charismatic leaders and ‘tricksters’ related? In what such similarities or differences are relevant for understanding contemporary politics? Illustrate your argument with a concrete example. Intro
Charisma was introduced into social theory and political sociology by German Sociologist Max Weber who described charisma as a ‘gift of grace’ ( REF) and a ‘charismatic authority is when a person has special gifts of the body and mind and these gifts are noticed by others as a valid reason for their involvement in an extra- ordinary programme of action’ (Dow Jnr 1978 …show more content…
A charismatic leader and a trickster differ because a charismatic leader is seen to have a gift, have the peoples interest at heart and not just crave power for themselves but want to do good for the people they lead while on the other hand a trickster is hungry for power, speaks with little meaning and causes up heaval. Weber discovered that charismatic leaders emerge in times of political change but what he failed to realise is that Tricksters too, emerge (Thomassen 2014). They both uncover in liminal situations, in crisis when it is easiest to gain power and the trust of the people. Horvath (2013) informs us that charismatic leaders and tricksters don’t occur in everyday situations, but in out of the ordinary situations, which could be anything to do with economic crisis , poverty, natural disasters and so on. By emerging in time of liminality the trickster or the charismatic person could be seen by the people as the solution to the crisis (Ref …show more content…
Donald trump is evidently a trickster in contemporary politics and Angela Merkel has many charismatic traits, although some would argue that she doesn’t possess any. Angela Merkel is a prime example as to how it is almost impossible to find someone that everyone believes is a charismatic leader. The choices and laws that leaders make can be looked at differently by different people. Some can see them as a positive change and some can see them as a negative change. Every political leader will make attractive promises when campaigning for votes, promises that make their country a better place to live in. Unfortunately many people abandon these promises when elected causing many to loose their charismatic traits (Ref needed). Alot loose their charisma overtime and this is a growing trend in contemporary politics. Trump and Bertie aherne are obvious examples. (ADD