Liminality (Re‐)Realized in the Psychedelic Rave

Abstract

SUMMARYThe literature concerning rave parties uses Victor Turner’s concept of liminality to consider the hours‐long dancing to electronic dance music as a state of ambiguity that potentializes sociopolitical change. Liminality seemingly corresponds to the performances in question since they entail a serious play with stimulants and hallucinogens. Yet, what if the experiences unfolding within the rave space circuses are not exclusive to the event but rather circulate as images and fantasy echoing the fables of modernity? The article traces manifestations of the journey—a crucial narrative in the psychedelic rave—to situate the event in our techno‐mediated worlds. In light of how designer drug experiences multiply in different social settings, the mobility to dreamworlds in exotic destinations prompts me to question whether liminality creates the space for “transformational experiences.” Instead, I examine how it reifies the modern ideals of adventurous traveling, aesthetic intimacy, and individualized self‐discovery, resonating an oncoming modernity.