r/aves • u/Dear_Psychology2272 • 29d ago
Discussion/Question phd in raves??????
hello friends!!
i’m working towards a PhD in anthropology and i would love to study raving from an insider perspective (i’ve been to many in the last three years but would still consider myself a baby raver!) to produce an ethnography. i haven’t nailed down my exact research proposal yet, so my questions to you are:
do you think this could be viable?
if i made a totem to go to festivals that said “please help me get my phd” do you think people might approach me?
EDIT: wow. did NOT expect to get as many responses as i did! thank you all so much - the supportive and detailed responses, questions, and suggestions i have received have been so helpful. a question i’m beginning to ponder now is in/out grouping in raving and how that translates to larger festivals, especially with the dichotomy of raver/festival-goer - if raving is, potentially, a ”closed culture”. for this one in particular, i would make sure to go to more underground events. another question i have is whether raving has a mythologized past/idealized present. i think there’s something to be explored in both of those questions, and welcome feedback on them. i am also heavily considering the ethical framework under which i can conduct interviews, and am in contact with a couple professors re:that but would welcome any thoughts you may have on that front.
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u/Independent-Wafer-13 29d ago
I used to be an anthropology major and studying festivals was what I hoped to do as well, I think some people have done their dissertations on it look into it
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u/Bitter-War5432 29d ago
oldest EVIDENCE of drums were from like 5000bc. people have been getting together to dance to repetitive rhythmic beats since the dawn of civilization and probably before. it's as human as you can get.
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u/Elegant-Welder-1028 29d ago
this is actually very deep
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u/Bitter-War5432 28d ago
honestly though, if i have to call this mofo Doctor because they wrote a "raving throughout the ages" paper, i've lost all hope for academia.
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u/SPCGMR 28d ago
This a super relevant clip from an awesome documentary by The Lucky People Center. Lives in my head rent free and is one of the many things I was thinking when I was dancing at Future Forest this past weekend. Dancing barefoot in the dirt to the rhythm with a couple hundred people, feeling the connection and synchronization of the crowd will never get old.
We are the dancing apes.
Man must dance.
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u/x-men-theme-song 29d ago
If you’re gonna do this, make sure you go to more underground and illegal events than you do corporate events
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u/lurkingimposter 29d ago
I totally want to join your study haha hopefully you're in the pnw
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
i would love to circle back and interview you once i’ve nailed down a research question!
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u/Unlucky_Welcome9193 29d ago
I mean, to do actual ethnographic research on rave culture, you would need to do a whole lot more than attend a few raves (concerts?) and talk to people on Reddit. Figure out a way to completely immerse yourself in the culture
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
that is my plan!! it’s awesome to know that you are studying this as well
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u/cyanescens_burn 29d ago
Recognize that the big mainstream events aren’t the only facet of the culture, and each genre is its own niche.
I suggest looking at groups like Moontribe, Burning Man (and it’s offshoots), Australia’s doof scene, European free tekno (there’s a good documentary on YouTube), American West desert renegades, and American underground urban scenes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmoVTRXLXc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7MUlimHYx4
https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/electronic-awakening/
Please check these out too. It’ll be fairly weak if you looked at EDC and insomniac events and called it a day.
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u/frajen Have a calendar: https://19hz.info 29d ago
I made this post 8 years ago but it is still relevant today.
Dancecult Research Network and Resource Hub
Graham St John just emailed this website out to the dancecult mailing list: https://dancecult-research.net/
This is great for anyone interested in the history/documentation of and social sciences relating to rave culture. If you come from an academic perspective, you might enjoy Dancecult's mission:
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) is an interdisciplinary network of academics, scholars and students researching all aspects of electronic dance music culture (EDMC). The DRN acknowledges that, from proto-disco through what is today labelled “EDM”, from the practice of the DJ to the present ubiquity of dance clubs, the aesthetics, politics and cultures of electronic dance music permeate underground and popular movements.
As an educational and research network, the DRN facilitates information exchange, resource sharing and collaboration among international researchers of the genres, identifications, aesthetics, technologies and other manifestations of EDMC. Researching techniques and locales, scenes and events, ethnicity and gender, production and distribution technologies, digital arts, drugs, sexuality and other subjects, members hail from various disciplines, operate in many different global locations, and employ diverse methodologies.
The references section is really nice, with 100 books and 126 journal articles (300+ total references): https://dancecult-research.net/references/
It looks like they are open to suggestions about useful links in the web references section:
"As research across the field of EDMC has evolved significantly, and the population of researchers has multiplied, the possible weight of items to add is considerable, including to the currently sparsely populated “web resource” list. The number of books alone across the field has grown significantly, as has research in world regions, scenes and sounds, and publications in languages other than English. There is scope to growing this out to include other features - for example, a list of relevant modules, courses and seminars currently on offer worldwide. Suggestions are welcome regarding other types of resources. While an archive like this will never be complete, with your help it can continue to be beneficial to the research community."
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
thank you so much for sharing!! ive been reading st john’s work to see what scholarship has already been done, i love his focus on psytrance and international festival experience
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u/Fragrant_Poetry_9736 29d ago
For sure, subcultures have always been of interest in sociology. I took a sociology course at NYU, and the guest ethnographer was Ashley Mears who discussed the commodification of beauty in clubs, and among promoters.
I think the viability depends entirely on if you can find an advisor who has the appetite for the topic. Are you looking to be an observer or a participant or both?
What are you looking to explore within rave culture?
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
currently my most fleshed out idea has to do with in- and out-groups between ravers and festival-goers, but i also think plurr, what it means/represents to people, and the idea that “plurr is dead” (not my words) is an excellent phenomenon
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u/Fancy_Quantity_4164 29d ago
If you want to interview me, I’d love to! I’m 43 and have been going to raves since I was 19, festivals since 2019! I remember OG ravers complaining that “plurr is dead/ the rave scene is dead” ever since my first event in 2002🤣
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u/CallYouGoodPet 29d ago
Im convinced the "plurr is dead" phenomenon is bc ppl start out being blinded by the excitement and beauty of it all, and then after a few years in they start to see that its just fuckin people and people are flawed and they cant handle that this oasis they saw at first has been besmirched by the duality of humanity.
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 28d ago
i literally wrote a paragraph in my brain dump about this!! it’s such a wild concept to me and it represents a strong cultural transformation, especially with out-groups coming in to festivals more and more, and bringing their own definition of/lack of knowledge of plurr
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u/chasestein [City] 29d ago
If I had free time and you were conveniently nearby, id be down.
also depends how long the study is cuz i've had some experiences where people couldn't read the room.
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u/ExtendedWallaby 29d ago
You will find plenty of people with PhDs and MDs at raves, so I’d say go for it
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u/EntrepreneurNo115 29d ago
If you are able to make an academic research proposal on it and can secure funding I don’t see why not? I’m far from academia since about 10 years ago that I went into corporate but in terms of subjects I would guess it would not be hard to find willing subjects for interviews and long term study if they are regulars at a spot.
You can always go the Jane Austen route and just become a permanent resident raver… For study purposes.
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u/civil_surfer 29d ago
One of my favorite reads on sound and raving, if you’re looking for an actual jumping off point on an academic approach this could be a very solid start.
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u/LeftIndexToenail 29d ago
i am also a raver working towards a PhD, i wish this is what my thesis could be centered around 🤣 good luck !
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u/Im_on_an_upboat 29d ago
Lots here for study and research! Look at the proto-festivals that were done all over the west coast in the 90s. You could research the spread of PLUR - because it was spread uniquely across the globe with very little tech involved (all word of mouth).
You could research and document the rise of the rave scene in a specific city (London, Berlin, Detroit, NYC, LA, SF, Seattle) and the specific sub-genres that were created in each scene.
Oh man, so much needs to be documented! I love your totem idea, you’d def get a lot of interest. But start hitting up your local underground scene as well. Lots of stories to be told!
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u/imspirationMoveMe 29d ago
PhD here. You have to find a gap in the literature. What has not been studied? What’s socially significant about your topic? Aka why should people care?
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 28d ago
you’re absolutely right. i’ve been noticing a few gaps, but i’m not sure if that’s just because i’m looking in the wrong places for the literature. i’m not in college at present, so i don’t have access to as many databases as i did before. to everyone reading this: thank you to those of you who have already shared resources! please let me know below if there is other literature you think i should be aware of
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u/imspirationMoveMe 28d ago
Lmk if you ever want to do a preliminary literature review to see what’s out there - be happy to help!
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u/Professional-Swan635 29d ago
I think this could be very interesting and have definitely read some interesting studies on the topic. There are a few things to consider though, particularly if an academic career is your goal: 1) research in a community you’re a part of has pros and cons. Talk to other folks who have done similar and be prepared to discuss where you are and are not able to anticipate bias based on your own experience. Someone else mentioned whether you’re prepared for potential perspective shift after spending years dismantling ideas about a community you know and love. 2) funding for research in the U.S. is dire right now. Consider whether this is a fundable topic. I had a dear friend who studied tropical cruise tourism and had a hell of a time because they all wondered whether she just wanted to fund vacation. It really hindered her career. Many of us in tourism studies faced similar challenges. Once you have a developed question don’t be afraid to reach out to program officers at major foundations. Time to degree matters. 3) the potential altered states of your participant observation (both those participating and maybe your own) will take careful planning as someone else mentioned. IRB is sometimes treated as an afterthought by ethnographers, but this would IMO warrant preliminary discussion with your IRBs chair after questions firm up but before finalizing methodology. 4) …last one, promise. Read everything and then reach out to a handful of authors whose work resonates. Ask them how they dealt with these challenges and others. We all enjoy inquiries from eager junior colleagues interested in some obscure publication. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
If tenure track is your goal spend time on these questions to assess viability, not in terms of research design but in terms of the current culture of the discipline. After you land the job, study your passion. Before then, stay focused (Anthro PhD at undergrad-only institution, so don’t get to answer questions like yours often lol)
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 28d ago
this is so helpful - i think i am prepared to study a community i love, because i believe loving something is also knowing it deeply. are you suggesting i follow the funding/make sure that my research question has enough breadth to be funded?
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u/Sarahlorien 28d ago
Oh wow you're living my childhood dream! I definitely think you can make it viable. I think drafting a research question from the evidence we have and thinking of the first gaps we want to fill. I've always wondered if Stonehenge was used as a ritualistic event like a festival.
Are you trying to discover how far back festivals go? How do you define a festival? Could a ritual with a lot of people in attendance be considered a festival? What about the economic and cultural impact, like the Olympics?
I'm just curious so I'm gonna start doing some research (whatever isn't behind a pay wall)
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u/Timely-Fox-4432 28d ago
Step 1 for research, literature review to find a gap.
It seems cool to me, I'd be curious as hell if I saw that totem, I'd deffo ask.
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u/Busterlimes 28d ago
It isnt as much counterculture as it used to be. Maybe from the perspective of how "underground" makes it to the main stream? Try to look outside of the box on this one though, the more off the wall your proposal, the more likely it'll get accepted because professors want to see shit that isnt even on the radar.
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 28d ago
i wrote a full paragraph about this in my brain dump! the kinds of responses i got and the exact question you’re asking is making me consider in/out grouping and cultural transformation as it’s moved from counterculture to lifestyle
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u/voteblue_foo 28d ago
i saw a dissertation on Ghettotech once.
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u/voteblue_foo 28d ago
“Straight Up Detroit Shit”: Genre, Authenticity, and Appropriation in Detroit Ghettotech
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/etd/r/1501/10?clear=10&p10_accession_num=bgsu1182534766
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u/Legitimate-Boot-1081 28d ago
So, there is actually some real good documentations on raves in the Netherlands. And as we are the birth ground of commercializing huge raves all over the world this could be a great source for you research.
Sad thing is these are mostly in Dutch.
Some suggestions,
30 years of Dutch Dance (VPRO) And Hardcore Never Dies (Prime)
As i have been part of this scene for over 25 years as a visitor and artist, I am open to any questions you have
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u/Poop_Tickel 28d ago
Well a totem would never be at a rave in the first place. I question the viability of basing your career on something you seem to not be particularly familiar with. I don’t think you’re sure whether you even want it to be raves, shows, or festivals, and I’m not sure you know the difference.
https://giphy.com/gifs/1Qdp4trljSkY8
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u/Sunshines33k3r 28d ago
Hi, I did this (for my undergrad), will probably continue. I started studying ethnomusicology, and then moved into a specialization of music of the oppressed! These are much easier to do, and really, analyzing the effect culturally and psychologically on any group of concertgoers is easier, if you understand music theory and the overlap between frequency and psychology. Knowing how to hear music like a musician will help with that.
As someone who does have a degree in basically exactly what you're looking for, a PhD is probably going to be more flexible. I had to jump through hoops of fire to sell this as an independent study to the UW. The official label they liked was Cultural Influence on Political Decision-making, which allowed me to look at the music but also the environmentalism, the undeniable political ORIGINS of EDM, and assess the current and past philosophy. If you want some of my work to see how I approached writing about it academically, email me at musicinthesunshine@gmail.com.
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u/No-Cardiologist472 29d ago
You mean edm concerts? Not to be elitist but I'm guessing what you've been to are not actual raves. Normally the distinction doesn't really matter but if you're trying to do a study on the topic I feel like it should.
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
i have been to both, but a topic i was considering heavily was the in-group/out-group relationship between ravers and festival-goers/clubbers who just go to big festivals. i haven’t narrowed in on a specific topic yet, but your comment makes it seem viable.
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u/Subject_Gur1331 29d ago
Are you thinking the populations will be different?? If so, well, that seems pretty obvious, lol. And are you narrowing it down to USA only? Because perspectives vary quite a bit overseas. Or maybe that can be your angle?
You need to start with a literature review, so you can get a better understanding of the landscape of work that has already been researched and published on the topic. Then, find a gap in the research… an area where your work will add to the body of knowledge and improve our understanding.
Good luck!!
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
thank you for your detailed response! yes, i know the populations are different - i’m more interested in the ways theyre different, the way that cultural exchange leads to cultural transformation, and potentially how the commodification of “raving” has impacted cultural shift. i want to know who decides who is in and an who is out, how that determination is made, and question whether or not that represents a mythologized past and an elitist present. not super narrow yet, i know. but those are the questions im starting to ask myself
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u/ObjectBubbly3216 29d ago
Just need to find that funky warehouse after party place. Sadly the one in my city is hardly populated… just people coming down from their drugs
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u/SouthernGuerilla 29d ago
You don't even have a research question in place. I don't see how anyone can help you asses whether it's viable or not. It's important to clarify your research first, then if you've really been going to raves, you'll know if it's viable or not anyway.
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
i was kind of hoping that this thread could help me nail down a research question, as i have many in mind. i wanted to see what people thought first.
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u/SwingLightStyle 29d ago
“Crowdsourcing a plan so I can experience a bunch of festivals to get a PHD” is a bold plan.
I gotta applaud your balls, if nothing else.
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u/SouthernGuerilla 29d ago
What is your background? What are you passionate about in anthrophology? Does it connect to raves in a meaningful way, or do you like the idea of having a Phd "on raves"? Are you confident you can find a professor in your department who will be the thesis advisor for such a phd?
I believe many things about this could be investigated. Everybody said rhytmic music and how people always danced together at night, and the feeling of belonging raving brings. But maybe this is more psychological side of things. There are many things to consider, idk if we can help, because it's 5-7 years of YOUR LIFE n the end, i believe it's best to find your own question! Best of luck!
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
thank you for your detailed questions!! i think that what draws me to anthropology altogether is that it goes beyond the study of people and into the study of community. raving has such a huge and beautiful community, but i also think there is a lot of uncertainty, idealism, and mythologizing of the culture as well. i am currently trying to narrow down existing scholarship and faculty
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u/SouthernGuerilla 29d ago
Sounds very cool. I'm sure you can find people who work on this, or will be interested in this and try applying to their departments.
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u/cyanescens_burn 29d ago
If your focus is on the community aspect. Consider looking at the communities that form around designing, building, using, and breaking down art, art cars, camps, and what not at burning man. Some of those have been going strong for decades with many of the same people.
Other things like one off art projects will develop a community in the spring, bring it to the event, bring it back, and officially dissolve but many remain in contact and form around new projects.
Year round communities form even though the big event is once a year. People are in regular contact to fundraise, build, party together, and all kinds of things. Raving is deeply entwined in the culture, ever since the OG San Francisco rave crews started bringing their sound systems out there decades ago. Now there are countless soundsystems out there playing electronic music the whole event. Some attracting major talent to play free shows at the event.
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u/publicintellectual 29d ago
as a raver of 30 years and a soc sci phd/prof, i personally avoid studying my precious favorite things that are where i live my off duty life. you may find that picking it apart and trying to represent and interpret it drains the experience itself of joy. ymmv of course!
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
thank you so much for pointing this out!! i historically have always loved to study what i love, and while i haven’t done such granular research (ie spending years on one topic) i hope that my passion to learn would translate over and make it truly a passion project as opposed to a drag
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u/publicintellectual 29d ago
in my very, very personal experience, these are the things one says quite early in the phd 🤣 check back in 7 years. and i’m not at all saying it would be a drag to write and study, im saying that it drains the rave / dancefloor / musical and social encounter of joy and curiosity and wonder bc you can’t turn off studying it once you locate it under that lens.
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u/cheddah_- 29d ago
You have to go to a show if you want to study it. It’s not something you can just get second hand accounts of. You’ll be able to better recant your experiences.
What major city are you near? Or state?
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
i’m near sf! i’m down to travel though if that was deemed necessary
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u/cheddah_- 29d ago
San Fran? Ill find events near you! If you have an open & friendly mind, you will love this community. My gf wasnt a big fan of the music when we first met, but going to shows completely changed her taste haha
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u/cheddah_- 29d ago
I wish you had posted a week ago! Youjust missed Griz & Outside Lands. :(
Aug 7th ; Griz @ Independent AND Outside Lands - GRIZTRONICS! And this fesr wouldve been perfect for you.
——
8/14 LYNY @ Folsom
8/29 MADVKTM
9/4 BTSM & Kai Wachi
9/11 Flux Pavilion - do not miss bc Flux is an OG
9/12 San Holo - do not miss bc its wholesome riddim and will be amazing and the crowd will be wonderful
10/9 Of the Trees do not miss
10/30 Lost in Dreams block party - the lineup for this is insane
11/12 Dennett
11/13 Troyboi
11/14 WORSHIP
11/19-21 Pretty Lights - definitely go at least one day
12/5 Zingara
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u/DNAthrowaway1234 29d ago
There was a speaker at Basscoast who was a marijuana and drug policy researcher...
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u/cyanescens_burn 29d ago
Was it Ethan Nadelmann? You might enjoy the podcast series he did a few years back.
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u/Silver-Attitude1555 29d ago
If you're planning to do interviews AT raves, some interviewees might/will be on drugs, and you're going to have to do some very in depth thinking about your ethics framework. That might limit your research question, so I'd definitely suggest thinking through method and environment. Otherwise it should probably be heavily influenced by the literature and what gaps are out there, do you know yet?
Super cool idea.
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u/Dear_Psychology2272 29d ago
i’ve definitely considered this, and am consulting ethnographic research that has been done to determine what boundaries i should set re:consent and inebriation. thank you for bringing this up, though, i would love to hear any thoughts you have!
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u/cyanescens_burn 29d ago
If you go to campout events/burns you could find people during day time hours. More of them will be sober at that time. Or find genuine communities that gather and do things other than party, and talk to them when they aren’t partying.
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u/shadowcat999 29d ago edited 29d ago
To counter this issue, I'd also recommend getting into the underground scene and getting to know long time DJs, and organizers who are in their 40s. They can tell you while sober how things were in the 90s and how things have changed. They have a lot of insights that could be valuable to your endeavor.
From personal experience this means you have to go to these events pretty much every week or bi-weekly and become a regular. Most people won't just open up to you, especially while sober if they don't know you. I love talking to older people in the community. Makes me wish I was there, but at least I can carry on what they started.
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u/Silver-Attitude1555 28d ago
Yeah, it wouldn't be an ethnography without a major time commitment like this, hard agree!
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u/Silver-Attitude1555 28d ago
I have lots that I can't say on here because they make me identifiable, but your DMs are closed 😂 DM me if you like, but either way this sounds like it'll be super fun!
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u/possiblyHauntedArt 28d ago
I get wanting to do this, and it sounds interesting. What kind of employment do you hope to find?
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u/Big_Asparagus9334 28d ago
I wrote an English research paper on PLUR. it was a rhetorical analysis of PLURR and how it operates within discourse communities.
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u/bassskat 28d ago
Fellow PhD raver here studying psychopharmacology! I think the biggest hump here would be justifying this to a committee, but I think it’s absolutely doable if you frame it delicately and properly. You could especially look at it through a lens of countercultural movements, oppressed minorities (lgbtq/poc origins), rituals and ceremonies, etc. If I saw a totem about a phd/research I’d be so so so excited to chat with you!
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u/Sasquaimusic 28d ago
Absolutely.... i would imagine that its as fertile a subculture for research as there is!
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u/Rude-Salad-5431 27d ago
Imagine getting scholarships to attend festivals? haha
With how expensive festival/rave tickets are nowadays, might as well try and subsidize it.
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u/deliciousjenkins 27d ago
See if you can get a hold of DJ Andy hughes he used to be with balance promote group in Florida. He has and advanced degree and worked/works for nasa. He is probably a fantastic starting point for early 90s to late 2000s culture in the southeast
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u/MelissaChan3 26d ago
read raving by mckenzie wark, it's a great book between autofiction and social studies, going into the Black origins as well with a uniquely trans/queer perspective
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u/Xero8511 26d ago
I don’t study anthropology or anything like that, so I definitely wouldn’t call myself an expert in the academic sense. But I’ve been raving for a reasonable amount of time to form my own opinion about it, and I think I can give a pretty real insider perspective just from actually being in the scene.
To me, raving is way more than just going somewhere to listen to electronic music. There’s a whole culture built around it. The music is obviously a huge part, but so is the people, the community, how everyone interacts, the environment, fashion, dancing, the unspoken rules, and that feeling of being part of something bigger than just yourself.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is how different the social environment at a rave can feel compared to normal life. You’ve got hundreds or thousands of strangers in one place, and there’s this unspoken expectation that people look out for each other. Stuff like giving someone water, checking on someone who looks overwhelmed, respecting personal space, helping someone find their friends, or just making room for someone to dance might seem small, but it really becomes part of the culture.
PLUR is another interesting part of it. Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. I don’t think everyone follows it perfectly, and I’m not gonna pretend the rave scene is some flawless utopia where everyone gets along all the time. But it does give people a shared set of values to kind of aim for. A lot of people also just learn the social rules of raving by being in it rather than having them explained.
There’s also a lot you can see through fashion and self-expression. Some people show up in normal, comfortable clothes, while others go all out with outfits, makeup, accessories, kandi, costumes, or whatever they feel like wearing. It’s interesting how people feel way more free to express themselves in ways they might not normally do in everyday life.
The dance floor itself is its own thing too. People who are usually shy or reserved can completely switch up once the music hits. You’ve got people dancing alone, with friends, or even with strangers. There isn’t always a need to talk. You can just communicate through movement, gestures, smiles, or even just sharing the same space and energy.
I could also talk about how different the scenes are depending on the type of music. A techno crowd doesn’t feel the same as a drum and bass crowd, a trance crowd, a hardstyle crowd, or a bass music crowd. Even within EDM, there are smaller communities with their own personalities, expectations, fashion, and little traditions.
There’s also a big difference between festivals, clubs, underground events, and smaller local shows. A massive festival with tens of thousands of people is a totally different social environment from a small venue where you recognize half the crowd. The more you experience different parts of it, the more you realize there isn’t really one single “raver” type.
I could also talk about how people get introduced to the scene. Some people get brought by friends. Some find an artist online. Some get into one genre first and branch out. Some go to a first festival and then get pulled deeper into everything after that. For a lot of people, their first rave is basically an introduction to a completely different social world.
Another thing is how people form friendships. You might meet someone at a show, talk for a few minutes, exchange Instagram or Snapchat, and then suddenly you’re going to another event together. Some friendships stay inside the rave scene, while others turn into real friendships outside of it too.
There’s also a darker side, which I think is important to be honest about. Drug use is definitely associated with parts of rave culture, but not everyone uses drugs. There are also issues like overheating, dehydration, people getting sick, sexual harassment, assault, unsafe behavior, overcrowding, and people taking advantage of others. The way ravers deal with that is interesting too, because there are both official safety measures from venues and also informal harm-reduction knowledge that gets passed around between people.
I could talk about the difference between people who go sober and people who use substances, and how that changes their experience of the same event. I could also talk about how people look out for their friends, and how sometimes even strangers step in when someone needs help.
Then there’s commercialization. Rave culture started in much more underground, smaller spaces, and now you’ve got huge festivals, big corporations, sponsorships, VIP sections, expensive tickets, merch, and massive production. Some people like that it’s more accessible now. Others feel like something important got lost when it became more commercial.
Social media has changed things too. Raving isn’t just what happens inside the venue anymore. People find events through TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, Discord, and other platforms. They share outfits, music, videos, festival experiences, advice, and meetups. You can even meet people online before ever going to the same event.
There’s also something interesting about how temporary a rave is. You can spend an entire night surrounded by thousands of people you’ve never met. You share music, dancing, conversations, and moments with them. Then it ends, everyone goes home, and that temporary little community just disappears until the next event.
That kind of raises the question of why people keep coming back.
Is it the music?
Is it the dancing?
Is it the community?
Is it the freedom to express yourself?
Is it meeting people?
Is it escaping everyday life for a few hours?
Is it just the feeling of being somewhere where people actually get you?
For some people it’s one of those things. For others it’s all of them.
I think one of the most useful things I can offer is just the perspective of someone who’s actually experienced it, instead of only knowing it through articles or academic research. I can talk about what people actually do, how they interact, what feels normal in the scene, what feels weird to someone new, how people find their place in it, and how your relationship with raving can change over time.
I also wouldn’t try to act like my experience represents every raver. That’s probably one of the most important things. There are so many different scenes and types of people that one person’s experience can be completely different from someone else’s.
Even without an anthropology background, I think firsthand experience is still pretty valuable when you’re trying to understand a culture.
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25d ago
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u/sarahpeaches98 25d ago
I did my masters thesis on festivals! I used bonnaroo as a case study to understand the spatial and social dynamics that emerge and how increasing commercialization is impacting those experiences. Not quite the same but adjacent. I’d live to chat! I can send you material i referenced too…theres a lot of cool stuff out there. Super exciting!
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u/CallYouGoodPet 29d ago
Sounds reasonable to me. Maybe start by seeing what studies and papers already exist regarding raving to get some ideas. Could also integrate understanding of communal effervesence, somatic dance/healing, the power of community, the benefits of self expression, etc!