Playing with Fire Collectively: Contemporary Cultural Rites as Devisers and Outcomes of Community Networks
Popular festivities and traditional events are important moments in which symbolic content, deep emotions, and community solidarity are developed. However, there has been little research on the relationship between such events and their social networks and the power relations within
these networks. This article explores the ability of community events and networks to reflect and strengthen social context. Rather than observing the capacity of the event to generate a network, we focus on identifying how the event network is constructed, and how it creates relationships
between the different groups, or nodes, within broader social networks. The case analyzed is the Correfoc de la Mercè, a traditional firework event in Barcelona involving the Colles de diables, or Catalan popular fire culture groups. Our findings show that there is a bidirectional
link or a mutual dependence between the groups (or nodes) and the event, which also support the development of shared social and symbolic capital.
Keywords: COMMUNITY; CULTURE TRADITIONS; EVENT; FIRE; NETWORK
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 28 January 2021
This article was made available online on 27 May 2020 as a Fast Track article with title: "PLAYING WITH FIRE COLLECTIVELY: CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL RITES AS DEVISERS AND OUTCOMES OF COMMUNITY NETWORKS".
- Event Management, an International Journal, intends to meet the research and analytic needs of a rapidly growing profession focused on events. This field has developed in size and impact globally to become a major business with numerous dedicated facilities, and a large-scale generator of tourism. The field encompasses meetings, conventions, festivals, expositions, sport and other special events. Event management is also of considerable importance to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in a pursuit of a variety of goals, including fund-raising, the fostering of causes, and community development.
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