University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Politics as masquerade: Multiple ideologies in Antigua

Treitler, Inga Elisabeth

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Description

Title
Politics as masquerade: Multiple ideologies in Antigua
Author(s)
Treitler, Inga Elisabeth
Issue Date
1992
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Keller, Janet D.
Department of Study
  • Anthropology, Cultural
  • Psychology, Social
  • Political Science, General
  • Sociology, Social Structure and Development
Discipline
  • Anthropology, Cultural
  • Psychology, Social
  • Political Science, General
  • Sociology, Social Structure and Development
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Anthropology, Cultural
  • Psychology, Social
  • Political Science, General
  • Sociology, Social Structure and Development
Language
eng
Abstract
  • Culture emerges from the interpretation of social, cultural, and natural patterns. Similarly, a nation's political culture is the result of individual interpretations of the distribution of power in society. Culture is changeable as a direct function of individual interpretations. This view of the flexibility of culture in general and political culture in particular, contributes to a richer understanding of the creation of political systems in developing nations.
  • In Antigua, a medium sized island in the Eastern Caribbean, Carnival is examined as an arena of activity possessing both political and folk dimensions. Carnival is the most important performance event of the year in Antigua, and is a domain of cultural activity in which both cultural and political issues are brought into relief and problematized by Antiguans. The interaction of these dimensions is the focus of this dissertation.
  • Two ideologies are unveiled through symbolic analysis of Carnival performances. These ideologies coexist within the individual, as well as in government and in the society at large. It is concluded that multiple ideologies exist in a relationship that can be, but is not always confrontational because each ideology is triggered by a different situation. Antigua affords an interesting opportunity to observe the expression of multiple ideologies because it is a small nation with a population that is comparatively homogeneous. Moreover, in Antiguan society there is little anonymity and information travels rapidly at informal levels. Ideological formations that are inconsistent with the dominant ideology must be masked if they are to survive repression by the political structures of government. Masking devices are explored, and it is concluded that all political systems are complex dialogical constructs of dominant and alternate, or elite and non-elite ideologies.
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23519
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1992 Treitler, Inga Elisabeth

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