Every summer, thousands gather from around the world in the heat of Nevada's Black Rock Desert for the seven-day celebration of art, community, and fire known as Burning Man. This ethnography of the Burning Man phenomenon explores why 'burners' come in vast numbers to transform a temporary gathering of strangers into an enduring community.

List of Illustrations List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Into the Zone Chapter 2. "Spiritual, but Not Religious"? Chapter 3. Ritual without Dogma Chapter 4. Desert Pilgrimage Chapter 5. Media Mecca Chapter 6. Burn-a-lujah! Appendix 1. Demography: The Face of the Festival Appendix 2. On-Line Survey Design Appendix 3. Burning Man Organization Mission Statement Notes Bibliography DVD Contents Credits Index

"Gilmore's study brings new voices and experiences to current debates about religion versus spirituality through her richly textured descriptions of the characters, events, and spaces that make up the seemingly strange but culturally significant Burning Man festival. Readers will discover that Burning Man is a wonderful illustration of the dialectic between self and community at the heart of much of American religion today. Gilmore persuades us that those who trivialize this event by seeing it as a huge party, miss the ways in which Burning Man provides an unusual snapshot of diverse forms of American spiritual-seeking."—Sarah Pike, author of Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for Community"At the generative core of research in ritual studies is a balancing act: on the one hand, involved; on the other, distanced. On the one hand, committed; on the other, critical. On the one hand, attentively rooted in ethnographic details; on the other, broadly theorized. Theater in a Crowded Fire walks that tightrope with remarkable agility."—Ronald L. Grimes, author of Deeply into the Bone

"Gimore simply nails it... the book is a model of academic writing--intelligent, concise and readable. I'll recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of what the hell they're doing up there on the desert on Labor Day weekend." Reno News & Review "A valuable piece of original research." -- Vaughan S. Roberts Anglican Theological Review "A very engaging work." Journal Royal Anthro Inst "Containing rich descriptions of Burning Man, the book provides a clearer image of the ritual and spiritual aspect of the event." -- Beth Dougherty Oxford Journal "Worthwhile... Honest" -- Robert Furey Psycinfo/ Psyccritiques (3) "Theoretically diverse, the book explores the intersection of religion and spirituality from an innovative angle." -- Beth Dougherty Sociology Of Religion