Having seen communitas for what it is, it is hard not to spot this type of communal experience in so many aspects of our lives. Already mentioned are those times of great social upheaval and disaster awakens something in us and calls us to find ourselves in a new way: the tsunami, as tragic as it was, called something really good out of us. But communitas can be found in far more common and less hazardous situations like sports teams where a group of otherwise individualistic people band together to achieve a common task. They become a team around a common challenge. This is mirrored in common work practices where a group of people in a corporate situation are called together to do something which they could not do alone. The deadline in this situation creates the ordeal where people working together can really become good colleagues. The same dynamic is at work in adventure camps and in short term missions where people are taken out of their normal safe environments and put in situations of disorientation and marginalization. So many people who go to visit the slums of Mexico are deeply and profoundly changed through that experience.
The devotees of the Burning Man phenomenon that takes place annually in Black Rock Nevada experience the mystical joy of liminality and communitas that binds them together as they share radically in what they call a ‘gift economy.’ Burning Man they claim “is a community, that although temporary for six days each year, remains connected during the rest of the year to keep the fire burning.” Their website goes on to say that
There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. The event takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa. By the time the event is completed and the volunteers leave, sometimes nearly a month after the event has ended, there will be no trace of the city that was, for a short time, the most populous town in the entire county. Art is an unavoidable part of this experience, and in fact, is such a part of the experience that Larry Harvey, founder of the Burning Man project, gives a theme to each year, to encourage a common bond to help tie each individual’s contribution together in a meaningful way. Participants are encouraged to find a way to help make the theme come alive, whether it is through a large-scale art installation, a theme camp, gifts brought to be given to other individuals, costumes, or any other medium that one comes up with. The Burning Man project has grown from a small group of people gathering spontaneously to a community of over 25,000 people. The impact of the Burning Man experience has been so profound that a culture has formed around it. This culture pushes the limits of Burning Man and has led to people banding together nation-wide (even internationally) and putting on their own events, in attempt to rekindle that magic feeling that only being part of this community can provide.
We will explore some the mythic dimensions of communitas in specific movies and literature below, but note here that while not actually using the language of liminality and communitas, a great many movies are actually built around these themes. We all know the storyline so well don’t we? A man is on the run from rogue elements in the CIA. In a situation of desperation he gets assistance from a bystander, who also happens to be a beautiful woman, and so she gets implicated by association with him. They both hit the road together. Dodging bullets and keeping one step ahead of their pursuers, the man and woman in having to rely on each other actually get to ‘find each other’ and in doing so eventually resolve the situation. In fact most adventure stories involve a group of disparate people who have to work together to overcome danger. From The Bourne Supremacy (with Matt Damon) to the heart wrenching Saving Private Ryan, from Russel Crowe’s great performance in Master and Commander to Zion’s courageous stand against the machines in the Matrix series. Communitas features in just abut every movie involving as aspect of adventure you can think of. And these stories have real power over us because they awaken something very deep inside us—the abiding human need for adventure, journey, and comradeship. Its classic. And it has all the hallmarks of liminality and communitas.
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