The Rituals of Public Meetings

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: McComas, Katherine; Besley, John C.; Black, Laura W.
• 署名单位: Cornell University; University of South Carolina System; University of South Carolina Columbia; University System of Ohio; Ohio University
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3352
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.02116.x
• 发表日期: 2010
• 页码: 122-130
• 关键词: participation; JUSTICE; VOICE

摘要

Public meetings are often referred to as rituals to denote a largely symbolic activity with little concrete meaning. This essay explores how public meeting rituals may produce very real impacts on participants and pragmatic outcomes. Whereas tangible outputs of rituals are not always evident, ritual theory suggests that participants can derive latent meaning and significant comfort from their application. Although rituals serve to reify certain norms or control behaviors, they may also reaffirm civic values and encourage group cohesion. A deeper appreciation of public meeting rituals will enable participants and officials to respond more effectively to restructured or nontraditional formats as well as better deal with the challenges of maintaining participation when rituals lose their meaning.