Dancing in the Streets

About “Dancing in the Streets”

Cultural historian Barbara Ehrenreich explores the human impulse for collective joy, historically expressed through ecstatic revels such as feasting, costuming, and dancing, which she argues has been suppressed in modern society. She traces the origins of communal celebration to human biology and culture, examining how such festivities were indigenous to the West from ancient times through medieval Christianity, and how they were later suppressed by religious authorities, colonial powers, and elites due to fears of social disruption.