Intoxication: An Ethnography of Effervescent Revelry

Sébastien Tutenges' book explores why people across cultures gather regularly to intoxicate themselves, offering new insights into a wide variety of intoxicating experiences. He argues that group intoxication is the primary aim of the religious experience called collective effervescence, which is vital to our humanity because it strengthens social bonds and solidarity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

For two decades, Sébastien Tutenges has delved into the world of bars, nightclubs, festivals, drug dens, nightlife resorts, and underground dance parties, driven by a fundamental curiosity: why do people across cultures gather regularly to intoxicate themselves? This captivating book offers fresh perspectives on a diverse range of intoxicating experiences, from the intimate connection among concertgoers to the adrenaline-fueled rush of a fight, to the thrill of jumping off a balcony into a swimming pool. Tutenges explores what it means and feels to transcend the ordinary and enter altered states where transgressive, spectacular, and unexpected events take place. He argues that the primary goal of group intoxication is the religious experience known as collective effervescence, characterized by a sense of connection with others and belonging to a greater whole. This empowering and emboldening experience can lead to criminal behavior but is also essential to human nature as it strengthens social bonds and solidarity.

The book fills significant gaps in Durkheim's social theory and contributes to ongoing debates in micro-sociology, cultural criminology, and cultural sociology. Here, readers will embark on a detailed exploration of collective effervescence in contemporary society, encompassing:

An explanation of what collective effervescence is
A description of the conditions that generate collective effervescence
A typology of the various forms of collective effervescence
A discussion of how collective effervescence manifests in nightlife, politics, sports, and religion
An analysis of how commercial forces amplify and capitalize on the universal human need for intoxicating experiences.

Through his extensive research and compelling storytelling, Tutenges invites us to reevaluate our relationship with alcohol, drugs, and other intoxicants and to appreciate the complex social and cultural factors that shape our experiences with them. This thought-provoking book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of human behavior and the role of intoxicating substances in shaping our world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978831209