The Festivalization of Culture - Grand Format

The Festivalization of Culture explores the links between various local and global cultures, communities, identities and lifestyle narratives as they are both constructed and experienced in the festival context. Drawing on a wide range of case studies from Australia and Europe, festivals are examined as sites for the performance and critique of lifestyle, identity and cultural politics ; as vehicles for the mobilization and cementation of local and global communities ; and as spatio-temporal events that inspire and determine meaning in people's lives.
Investigating the manner in which festivals are no longer merely periodic, cultural, religious or historical events within communities, but rather a popular means through which citizens consume and experience culture, this book also sheds light on the increasing diversity of contemporary societies and the role played by festivals as sites of cohesion, cultural critique and social mobility. As such, it will be of interest to those working in areas such as the sociology, consumption and commodification of culture, social and cultural geography, anthropology, cultural studies and popular music studies.
"This is a fascinating collection of chapters exploring and illuminating the multifaceted contemporary festivalscape. The essays are theoretically informed, empirically grounded and offer new insights that clearly demonstrate the importance of festival attendees to the development of socio-cultural and political meanings and experiences of festival events. Recommended for anyone with an interest in music and arts festival research." Chris Anderton, Southampton Solent University, UK