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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.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Naturalization of the Alternatives in 1970s Britain through a 2020 XR Lens.- Chapter 3: The Case for A Free Festival (1969-74): Hippy Culture and Pop Festivals.- Chapter 4: Come, look and hear how the past has been and the future will be!" Festival culture and Neo-Nationalism in Hungary.- Chapter 5: Burning Man in Europe: Burns, Culture and Transformation.- Chapter 6: Artistic Engagement and Engineering Cultural Innovation at Festivals.- Chapter 7: Festivals: Monument Making, Mythologies and Memory.- Chapter 8: Sherpagate: Tourists and Cultural Drama at Burning Man.- Chapter 9: Festival co-creation and transformation: The Case of Tribal Gathering in Panama.- Chapter 10: The renewal of festive traditions in Mallorca: ludic empowerment and cultural transgressions.
About the author
Maria Nita is a Lecturer in Religious Studies at the Open University, UK. Her research focuses on religion and environmentalism, with particular interest in artistic practices for sustainability, festivals, and the climate movement.
Jeremy H. Kidwell is a Senior Lecturer in Theological Ethics at the University of Birmingham, UK. Kidwell is an interdisciplinary scholar, with a background in the humanities, particularly literature and music.
