Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation
The cultural role of Allen Ginsberg does not fit a typical Weberian model of charisma. The avant-garde poet was an outstanding personality and possessed an unusual ability to affect people. He played a vital role in expanding the boundaries of personal freedom in America of the 1950s–1990s, blazing...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2013-01-01
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Series: | Religions |
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Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/4/1/51 |
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author | Yaakov Ariel |
author_facet | Yaakov Ariel |
author_sort | Yaakov Ariel |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The cultural role of Allen Ginsberg does not fit a typical Weberian model of charisma. The avant-garde poet was an outstanding personality and possessed an unusual ability to affect people. He played a vital role in expanding the boundaries of personal freedom in America of the 1950s–1990s, blazing new paths for spiritual, communal and artistic expression. Serving as a father figure for the counterculture—a symbol of an alternative set of cultural norms, lifestyles and literary forms—Ginsberg was a charismatic counter-leader, with no clearly defined followers or movement. As a leader in a more liberated era, he offered energy, ideas, inspiration, and color, but no structure or authority. Instead he was a prophet of freedom, calling on people to express themselves openly, to expand and experiment. This role demanded charisma but of a different kind—one that was more spiritual and less organizational or hierarchical. This article follows Gary Dickson’s essay “Charisma, Medieval and Modern,” in offering a suggestive analysis of and supplement to Weber’s understanding of charisma. The article grapples with the concept of charisma in relation to a generation that resented rigid structures and authorities. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:39:14Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-2c1ea6212d404b868caae911b4c52fdc |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2077-1444 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:39:14Z |
publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Religions |
spelling | doaj.art-2c1ea6212d404b868caae911b4c52fdc2022-12-21T23:52:14ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442013-01-0141516610.3390/rel4010051rel4010051Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New GenerationYaakov Ariel0Department of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USAThe cultural role of Allen Ginsberg does not fit a typical Weberian model of charisma. The avant-garde poet was an outstanding personality and possessed an unusual ability to affect people. He played a vital role in expanding the boundaries of personal freedom in America of the 1950s–1990s, blazing new paths for spiritual, communal and artistic expression. Serving as a father figure for the counterculture—a symbol of an alternative set of cultural norms, lifestyles and literary forms—Ginsberg was a charismatic counter-leader, with no clearly defined followers or movement. As a leader in a more liberated era, he offered energy, ideas, inspiration, and color, but no structure or authority. Instead he was a prophet of freedom, calling on people to express themselves openly, to expand and experiment. This role demanded charisma but of a different kind—one that was more spiritual and less organizational or hierarchical. This article follows Gary Dickson’s essay “Charisma, Medieval and Modern,” in offering a suggestive analysis of and supplement to Weber’s understanding of charisma. The article grapples with the concept of charisma in relation to a generation that resented rigid structures and authorities.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/4/1/51Allen GinsbergNaomi GinsbergJack KerouacPeter OrlovskyBeat GenerationcountercultureJewishHowlKaddishBuddhism |
spellingShingle | Yaakov Ariel Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation Religions Allen Ginsberg Naomi Ginsberg Jack Kerouac Peter Orlovsky Beat Generation counterculture Jewish Howl Kaddish Buddhism |
title | Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation |
title_full | Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation |
title_fullStr | Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation |
title_full_unstemmed | Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation |
title_short | Charisma and Counterculture: Allen Ginsberg as a Prophet for a New Generation |
title_sort | charisma and counterculture allen ginsberg as a prophet for a new generation |
topic | Allen Ginsberg Naomi Ginsberg Jack Kerouac Peter Orlovsky Beat Generation counterculture Jewish Howl Kaddish Buddhism |
url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/4/1/51 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT yaakovariel charismaandcountercultureallenginsbergasaprophetforanewgeneration |