Subcategories

Traditional and Religious Legitimacy Concepts

2 of 15 entries in Political Concepts. Click any to see everything it connects to.

Citation Formats

General Reference

Political Atlas. "Traditional and Religious Legitimacy Concepts." Accessed September 8, 2026. https://political.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/politicalconcept/traditional-and-religious-legitimacy-concepts.

APA Style

Political Atlas. (n.d.). Traditional and Religious Legitimacy Concepts. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://political.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/politicalconcept/traditional-and-religious-legitimacy-concepts

BibTeX

@misc{politicalatlas-traditional-and-religious-legitimacy-con,
  author = {Political Atlas},
  title = {Traditional and Religious Legitimacy Concepts},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://political.interactiveatlas.org/subcategories/politicalconcept/traditional-and-religious-legitimacy-concepts},
  note = {Accessed September 8, 2026}
}

Non-Western, tradition- or religion-derived sources of legitimate political authority, corresponding to Max Weber's traditional and charismatic categories of legitimate authority rather than his legal-rational category: the Mandate of Heaven, the classical Chinese doctrine that a ruler's legitimacy derives from divine sanction contingent on just rule, and shura, the Islamic principle of consultation as a source of legitimate governance. Belongs here: a source of legitimate authority grounded in tradition, religious sanction or scripture rather than in popular consent. Does not belong here: a modern consent-based legitimacy theory, grouped under Legitimacy and Political Authority.