Carnival and Spectacle in Krewe de Vieux and the Mystic Krewe of Spermes: The Mingling of Organization and Celebration
Gazi Islam, Michael J. Zyphur, David Boje
Organization Studies · 2008 · Volume 29 · Issue 12
Abstract
This is an ethnographic study of the Mystic Krewe of Spermes , which does float construction and a parade for Mardis Gras in New Orleans. We compare spectacular and carnivalesque elements of the organization in its preparation for and enactment of the annual parade. We show that both system-maintaining spectacular theatrics and system-challenging carnivalesque protest govern the event, which at once leads to opposition and tension, as well as acceptance and renewal within the krewe and its local audience. We discuss implications for critical organization studies, and the importance of the krewe as an indigenous organizational form.
Keywords
spectacle, carnival, organizational resistance, organizational change, organizational irony
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