This book brings together interdisciplinary research from the fields of Anthropology, Sociology, Archaeology, Art, History and Religious Studies, showing the necessity of a transdisciplinary and diachronic approach to examine the last half-century of modern arts and performance festivals. The volume focuses on new theoretical and methodological approaches for the examination of festivals and festival cultures, both the Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert and burner culture in Europe. The editors argue that festival cultures are becoming values-inflected global forms of travel, dwelling, festivity, communication, and social organisation that are transforming contemporary cultures and have significant political capital.
Author(s): Maria Nita, Jeremy H. Kidwell
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 269
City: Cham
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Editors’ Introduction
Festivals, Globalisation, Tradition and Change
References
Chapter 2: The Naturalization of the Alternatives in 1970s Britain Through a 2020 XR Lens
Methods
Festivals on a Continuum of Cultural Practices and Value Change
Values and Cultural Change
In the Words of the Media: The Naturalization of the 1970s Alternatives
Alternative Lifestyles in the Public Eye in the 1970s
Alternative Portraits
A 2020 XR Lens
Conclusions
References
Chapter 3: The Case for a Free Festival (1969–1974) Hippy Culture and Pop Festivals
Introduction: Hippy Culture and Festivals
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival: Supporters and Critics
Organising an Alternative to the Mass Festival
Free Festivals: Two Case Studies—Glastonbury 1971, Windsor 1972–1974
Conclusion: The Roots of Glastonbury
References
Chapter 4: “Come, Look and Hear How the Past Has Been and the Future Will Be!” Festival Culture and Neo-Nationalism in Hungary
Introduction
Hungarian Festivals on the Global Festival Scene
The Hungarian Neo-nationalist Culture
The National Assembly of Hungarians
Relationship with the Past
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Burning Man in Europe: Burns, Culture and Transformation
Introduction
EuroBurner Surveys: Methodological Remarks
Motivations for Participating in Regional Events
Accessibility
Community—Social Intimacies and Interactions
General Impressions
Transformation in Daily Life
Personal Attributes
Daily Interactions
The Greater Good
No Change
Gifts of Kiez Burn
Ramifications of Leaving No Trace
Discussion
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Ritualized Art: Cultural Innovation and Greening at Festivals and Protestivals
Ritual as Artistic Socially Engaged Practice
The Artist and Their Socially Engaged Practice: Maria Nita Interviewing Zsófia Szonja Illés
The Creative Process, Art and Ritual
Theoretical Framing and Discussion
Conclusions
References
Chapter 7: Festivals: Monument Making, Mythologies and Memory
The Lure of the Stones
A Theoretical Frame: Using Contemporary Archaeology to Examine Festival Sites
Literature Review, Primary and Secondary Sources: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives
The Past in the Present
Glastonbury Festival Creation Myths
Methodological Approaches
Collecting Stories
Data Analysis: Into the Swan Circle
What Do People Say about the Stones
The Swan Circle Narratives
Antiquity and Orientation
A Living Monument: Memorialisation, Ritual and Protestival
Memorialisation and Remembrance
The Danger Zone
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Sherpagate: Tourists and Cultural Drama at Burning Man
Introduction
Art Themes, Social Dramas, and Superliminality
Sherpagate
Renaissance Man: Da Vinci’s Workshop
Conclusion: The Arts of Acculturation
References
Chapter 9: Festival Co-Creation and Transformation: The Case of Tribal Gathering in Panama
Transformational Festivals
Ritualization
Tribal Gathering: More than a Music Festival
Temporal Stretching and Spatial Removal
Tribal Aestheticization
Deliberate Co-Creation
Intentional Manifestation
Discussion and Conclusion
Differentiation Vis-a-Vis Familiarity
Spectatorship Vis-a-Vis Participation
Co-Creation Vis-a-Vis Transformation
References
Chapter 10: The Renewal of Festive Traditions in Mallorca: Ludic Empowerment and Cultural Transgressions
Introduction
Methods
The Invention of Tradition
Ludic Transgressions
Conclusion
References
Index
