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Barbara Ehrenreich, the incisive and witty cultural and political commentator and author of Nickel and Dimed (2001) and Bait and Switch (2005) draws on themes from one of her recent books, Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy (2007), to trace the history of communal celebrations—the groaning feasts, the ecstatic dancing, the slapdash costumes, the suspended morals—to consider how such festivals were reshaped by the influence of the church and the demands of industrial society, and the degree to which such rituals and revelries survive into this day. (Anybody remember Grant Park November 4, 2008?)

This annual lecture honors Festival supporter Doris Conant in recognition of a generous gift to the Chicago Humanities Festival by the Conant Family Foundation.