blog




  • Essay / Safe Haven - 944

    We often wonder why we act a certain way in certain places and there must be a reason for it? Why do we act a certain way when we go to concerts or when we go to the library? Through a showcase of articles, we will discover the reason why we act in a particular way. In effect, we are entering a liminal space that has its own set of rules and boundaries where people can act differently from social norms because it is acceptable. We'll specifically look at how '70s punks and ravers entered liminal space and what they experienced during their time in that space, alongside a ritual clown from a Native American tribe. In the article "Anarchy in the UK: '70s British Punk as Bakhtinian Carnival", Peter Jones illustrates that British punks of the 70s were trying to redefine themselves by covering their bodies with tattoos and piercings and symbolically wearing dog collars to show how society viewed them as animals. They also wrote and sang lyrics about repressed social classes and genders during their extravagant concerts that could be compared to carnivals, seeing people with white makeup on their faces and their eccentric fashion statements. Jones further expressed that “carnivals bring together, unify, marry, and combine the sacred with the profane, the high with the low, the grand with the insignificant” (3). He compared the way carnivals and British punk concerts of the '70s brought people from all walks of life together in one place. Additionally, in the social sphere they created, they were able to have a large group of people follow their rite of passage. They accepted the role of the “outcasts” or “clowns” of society because they knew that they were the “crooks” of society by hanging out in the paper industry. who were part of their social group. In conclusion, since punks broke the rules of society, they were able to provide “a liminal space in which observers and ritual participants can fruitfully contemplate the vagaries of life” (Van Ham 320). They were able to provide a space where people could express themselves without worrying about what society thought of them because of the sacred power that overwhelmed them when they entered their concert, underground dance club, or meeting ritual. People felt safe from the sense of control and authority that their liminal space provided. They had nothing to fear knowing that what they were doing was a completely different experience from what any person would feel following the social norm, which they often find monotonous. The liminal space provided them with the excitement they were waiting for.