Every year, at the end of July, and for five days, a crowd dressed in white and red invades the streets of Bayonne.
From the observation of this Basque festival, Philippe Steiner, professor emeritus of sociology at Sorbonne University, is interested in the social bond which brings people together in a joyful effervescence.
He publishes
Partying.
Sociology of joy
(PUF).
LE FIGARO.
- You propose a sociology of the party through the prism of the Bayonne Festival.
How were they born?
Philip Steiner
.
-
The Bayonne Festival was created in 1932, when France suffered the effects of the financial crisis, which started three years earlier in the United States.
Unemployment is rising and the economy is slowing down.
At that time, the Basque city councilors decided to create a party to give a boost to the local trade which was languishing.
There is therefore no historical, religious or political reference behind the creation of these festivals.
At first, the town hall will look at this from a bit far…
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