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Title: Celebrations: The Cult of Anniversaries in Europe and the United States Today by William M. Johnston ISBN: 0-88738-375-0 Publisher: Transaction Publishers Pub. Date: 01 May, 1991 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $44.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: 500 candles make a lovely light......
Comment: A study of the theory and practice of anniversary celebrations of famous people or events in Europe and America could be a very interesting subject if it is written well. I thought it would be one of those anthropological works which illuminates previously dark corners, places in the vast Tent of Life that nobody really takes notice of. I was not mistaken. For 125 pages, Johnston weaves a fascinating argument, eminently readable, as to how a rising proliferation of cultural/historical anniversaries reinforces the concerns of postmodernism. We commemorate, he says, what we no longer wish to emulate. Leaving aside the author's rather weak definitions and treatment of "postmodernism" as a concept, the book more exactly treats the different ways in which cultural anniversaries are celebrated in the USA and various European countries and why. His discussion of such topics as the historical foundations of anniversary celebrations, the rise of state-supported cultural managers in Europe vis-a-vis local, academic sponsors of such celebrations in America, the role of individual intellectual giants in each culture, and the role of commercial interests and the media in celebrations is excellent. There is such potential depth here that nobody could present the FULL explanation. I particularly found his explanation of cultural differences in Europe and America throught the lens of anniversary celebrations useful. An anthropology student looking for an interesting paper topic could find many stimuli here. Similarly, an anthropology teacher could find material for several lectures within these pages, so many ideas do they bring up. For example, Johnston claims that anniversary celebrations are more important when one class has overthrown another, as happened in Europe in the period 1789-1900. In the UK, the change was gradual, and thus, the anniversary celebrations are muted. "Anniveraries appeal to new owners, not ancestral ones." (p.81) In America, the same institutions we had in 1787 are still in place. The country, except for parts of the South, was founded by the middle class. Celebrating anniversaries of individuals to stress our national identity is unnecessary. The courtly tradition too lies behind celebratory style in Europe, not in the USA. The author talks about "cultural religion" in Europe as opposed to the "civil religion" of the USA. All these comparisons I found very thought provoking.

But what happened to this book ? If a few rather grandiose statements are thrown out in the first part, the arguments are useful, and certainly make sense. The second part of the book, the last 50 pages, is irrelevant to everyone now, in 2002, because it makes a confused series of predictions and recommendations about the bimillennium celebrations that now, in retrospect, are particularly bizarre. Johnston expresses his concern about the 'emotional upset' of the bimillennium to come. He links Rome, Greece, and Christianity to a kind of strange, proposed runup to the years 2000 and 2001. Off the wall suggestions come flying across the pages, perhaps tongue in cheek. It is a very self-indulgent performance that an editor should not have allowed because it takes the shine off an otherwise useful book.