A. Horvath 
Modernism and Charisma 

Looking at the relationship between modernity and the rise of charismatic leaders, Agnes Horvath uses ‘threshold’ situations to trace the conditions out of which political regimes developed. The focus on rationalism and structure has led to a systematic neglect of uncertain liminal moments, which gave new direction to societies and cultures.

Table of Content

Series Editor’s Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Squaring the Liminal or Reproducing it: Charisma and Trickster 2. The Rise of Liminal Authorities: Trickster’s Gaining a craft, or the Techniques of Incommensurability 3. Liminal Mimes, Masks, and Schismogenic Technology, or the Trickster Motives in the Renaissance 4. Attraction and Crowd Passions: Isaac Newton and Jacques Callot 5. Charisma in Eroticised Political Formations Bibliography Index

About the author

Agnes Horvath (Ph D in social and political sciences, European University Institute, 2000), sociologist and political scientist, uses anthropological perspectives for understanding the modern society. She is co-founder of International Political Anthropology and affiliated scholar at Cambridge University. Her publications include
Senkiföldjén (
On the No Man’s Land) (Budapest, 1989),
The Dissolution of Communist Power (Routledge, 1992),
Gli interpreti degli interpreti (Ficino Press, 2008), and
Reclaiming Beauty (Ficino Press, 2012), and articles in Hungarian, English, French and Italian.