Passing the beer around

Abstract

Based on an analysis of the circulation of beer in a group of urban dancers of Aymara origin (Bolivia), this article aims at exploring the ritual and social performativity of alcohol consumption. Alcohol is exchanged through the construction of specific spatial and corporal mechanisms to produce a subtle game of rivalry and alliances that underpins the whole social organization of this collective. From the study of interactions and sensitive experiences, this article will investigate how alcohol is not only the central object of a dynamic of reciprocal gifts within the festivity, but also a substance of transformation of the body intrinsically linked to devotional practice. In order to comprehend the ritual efficiency of alcohol, one has to question the articulation between corporal practices – on which this intense circulation of liquid relies – and the way alcohol transactions help building relationships within the group of dancers.

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