Weber: WHAT IS CHARISM?
“a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is considered extraordinary and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are such as not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader. . . . What alone is important is how the individual is actually regarded by those subject to charismatic authority by his followers or disciples.” (Weber 1947, 358–359).
CHARISMA & IRRATIONALITY:
- Charisma exhibits a strangeness (unusual) and irrationality.
- Status quo, institutional authority, bureaucratic authority seems very rational – usual and regular.
- Charisma seems irregular and unsystematic.
LEGITIMIZATION OF CHARISM
- Depending on the exceptional personal qualities or the demonstration of extraordinary insight the charismatic person gathers followers. Thus s/he gathers a charismatic authority.
- As the followers increase the charismatic authority gets legitimized.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY AND REVOLUTION
- Often charismatic authority threatens the existing institution. It challenges the status quo. Hence it is also seen to be subversive – revolutionary.
- Bureaucratic leadership also could bring about change and revolution, but it attempts to brings about change “from without” – up downward, whereas charismatic revolution is brought about “from within” – down upward.
ROUTINISATION OF CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
- One way the society resists revolution is by routinisation of charisma – taming the charisma: by selectively accepting the charisma without recognising its implications in full.
- Other times, enthusiastic followers also tend to routinise the charisma by institutionising it.
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