UCLA Center for European and Eurasian Studies

How do we explain effects like enthusiasm, fanaticism, collective violence or fraternization, appearances often described during festivals or mass gatherings? Even if we consider the fact, that enthusiastic organizers or observers often invented or exaggerated such collective feelings and even, if we study sources critically and sceptically, we would still have to deal with the problem that the talking about collective emotions is indeed important for the study of public celebrations and other mass gatherings.