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University of California Press

Theater in a Crowded Fire

Ritual and Spirituality at Burning Man
by Lee Gilmore (Author)
Paperback eBook
Price: $34.95 / £30.00
Publication Date: Jun 2010
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 256
ISBN: 9780520945531
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About the Book

Every summer, thousands gather from around the world in the blistering heat of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the seven-day celebration of art, community, and fire known as Burning Man. Culminating in the spectacular incineration of a wooden effigy, this festival is grand-scale theater for self-expression, personal transformation, eclectic spirituality, communal bonding, and cultural renewal. In this engrossing ethnography of the Burning Man phenomenon, Lee Gilmore explores why “burners” come in vast numbers to transform a temporary gathering of strangers into an enduring community. Accompanied by a DVD, which provides panoramic views of events, individuals, artworks, and, of course, the climactic final night, the book delves into the varieties of spirituality, ritual, and performance conducted within the festival space.

About the Author

Lee Gilmore is a Lecturer in Religious Studies and Anthropology at California State University, Northridge. She is coeditor of After-Burn: Reflections on the Burning Man Festival.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. Into the Zone
Chapter 2. “Spiritual, but Not Religious”?
Chapter 3. Ritual without Dogma
Chapter 4. Desert Pilgrimage
Chapter 5. Media Mecca
Chapter 6. Burn-a-lujah!

Appendix 1. Demography: The Face of the Festival
Appendix 2. On-Line Survey Design
Appendix 3. Burning Man Organization Mission Statement

Notes
Bibliography
DVD Contents
Credits
Index

Reviews

“Gimore simply nails it. . . the book is a model of academic writing--intelligent, concise and readable. I’ll recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of what the hell they’re doing up there on the desert on Labor Day weekend.”
— Reno News & Review
“A valuable piece of original research.”
— Anglican Theological Review
“A very engaging work.”
— Journal Royal Anthro Inst
“Containing rich descriptions of Burning Man, the book provides a clearer image of the ritual and spiritual aspect of the event.”
— Oxford Journal
“Theoretically diverse, the book explores the intersection of religion and spirituality from an innovative angle.”
— Sociology Of Religion
“Worthwhile. . . . Honest”
— Psycinfo/ Psyccritiques (3)
“A solidly written and well researched piece of scholarship that relates Burning Man to current trends in contemporary alternative rituals and spirituality.”
— Religion
“I highly recommend Gilmore’s study as an example of complicating the relationship between the secular and the sacred. This book is written in a very accessible and engaging style. . . . It is essential reading for anyone immersed in the study of religion and popular culture.”
— Journal Of Religion And Popular Culture
"Gilmore's study brings new voices and experiences to current debates about religion versus spirituality through her richly textured descriptions of the characters, events, and spaces that make up the seemingly strange but culturally significant Burning Man festival. Readers will discover that Burning Man is a wonderful illustration of the dialectic between self and community at the heart of much of American religion today. Gilmore persuades us that those who trivialize this event by seeing it as a huge party, miss the ways in which Burning Man provides an unusual snapshot of diverse forms of American spiritual-seeking."—Sarah Pike, author of Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for Community

"At the generative core of research in ritual studies is a balancing act: on the one hand, involved; on the other, distanced. On the one hand, committed; on the other, critical. On the one hand, attentively rooted in ethnographic details; on the other, broadly theorized. Theater in a Crowded Fire walks that tightrope with remarkable agility."—Ronald L. Grimes, author of Deeply into the Bone