From transgression to tradition: Relationality, organizational absorption, and the Lascivious Costume Ball, 1970–1984

Abstract

The Lascivious Costume Ball, a sexuality-themed and institutionally authorized party that took place at the University of Chicago from 1970 to 1984, began as a form of student rebellion. Yet within a few years it was diluted and managed by the university administration. Stripped of its initial transgressive character, the Lascivious Costume Ball had been integrated into the legitimate routines of the University as a representation of its institutional identity. This article uses the Lascivious Costume Ball as a case study to examine how organizations respond to potentially threatening oppositional action marshaled by their constituents. Drawing on an analysis of archival materials and 69 interviews with administrators, faculty, and alumni associated with the University at the time of the Ball, I argue that spatiotemporal context crucially shaped administrators’ approach to the event and hence its transformation. This article (1) illuminates the importance of relationality in shaping organizational responses to oppositional action; (2) introduces a new mechanism, organizational absorption, whereby organizations manage and defuse such action; and (3) suggests a fresh appreciation for the role of organizational identity in the management of disruption.