ABSTRACT
As William Arens (1984) observed some years ago, studies of kingship provide a sensitive indicator of the schism between historical and anthropological approaches to power, and by implication between Western representations of European and non-European time. This chapter contributes process by situating the anthropological practice of observing and studying exotic forms of divine kingship within a longer European tradition of critical thought and practice, extending back into pre-colonial times, that is, into the period of absolute monarchy itself. It outlines how a cultural strategy of alienation that originated in Europe as a form of internal resistance to royal power was transformed, in the context of colonial rule, into one of external domination. In documenting this process a particular emphasis is placed upon the role of material culture in forming cultural memories of, and temporal perspectives on, sacred kingship.
