Diplomatisches Zeremoniell in Europa und im Mittleren Osten in der frühen Neuzeit

The history of diplomacy has experienced a resurgence in the last two decades, largely thanks to the attention being paid to new issues which have arisen alongside the analysis of political procedures. These include the practical and structural aspects of diplomatic service, such as the social order of the diplomats and the organisational framework for their occupation, but also the day-to-day business aside from negotiations on national policy and public events. In recent times the ceremonial of the new modern age has also undergone a revaluation, since historical research, building on knowledge acquired from sociology and anthropology, has recognised the sensually perceptible symbolic interaction therein as an essential moment of pre-modern political practice. Thus, in this volume, diplomatic ceremonial, which has until now only been subject to a rudimentary examination, is subjected to a comparative analysis drawing on examples from Europe and the Islamic world.