The Age of Anger: Angry States and Emotions in Contemporary International Relations

Abstract

I am aware that an ever-greater task awaits me, a commitment I take on willingly, and grounded in my academic credo: integrity, excellence, relevance and freedom. Rites or rituals are Janus-faced. It changes (transforms) and maintains (repeats, reinforces). Rituals are ordered events or processes, laden with regalia to distinguish the initiate from the rest. In fact, anthropologist Arnold von Gennep described rituals as a three-phased process including separation, transition and incorporation (Manning 2000: 5, 9). In following von Gennep, tonight marks my incorporation. Scholars subsequent to von Gennep have added a fourth element – departure or exit – to this process (Manning 2000: 9). Therefore, tonight also reminds me that my task ahead has a built-in expiry date, that my academic shelf life is limited, and only as good as my commitment to my self-proclaimed academic credo