Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the influence of intermingling of diverse communities on cultural festivities. It does so by emphasizing on the aspect of alternative space for shared harmony. Ethnographic fieldwork determines the fusion of the lost and the gained in newly formed ethnoscapes.

Paper long abstract:

With the world getting increasingly interconnected, it paradoxically becomes more susceptible to exclusionary identity politics. Yet, in this globalized mosaic of cultures, festivals emerge as counterpoints to such divisive forces, offering spaces for collaboration and shared humanity. As individuals and communities navigate the global stage, their local festivals traverse borders, embedding themselves in ethnoscapes far removed from their origins. The dynamics between a sense of rootedness and the realities of mobility generates tensions, wherein identities associated with specific locations endure while simultaneously being reshaped by connections to distant places(Burnley and Murphy, 2004; Duffy and Waitt 2013).

This paper explores the evolving landscape of festivals, examining the introduction of alternatives and the subtle dilutions of meaning as practices adapt to smaller, more constricted communities. Methodologically, this study engages with ethnographic fieldwork and critical discourse analysis to investigate whether these adaptations constitute the emergence of entirely new cultural forms or represent a strategic repackaging of the old. Extending on Appadurai’s framework of cultural flows and ethnoscapes on how globalization homogenizes traditions, this study argues that festivals gain new layers of meaning through their interaction with diverse influences, often rebranded as “authentic” or “traditional” in their adapted forms interrogating whether these changes represent the survival of festivals under new guises or the emergence of entirely novel cultural practices(Appadurai, 1996). Festivals function as living artifacts, constantly negotiated and redefined in the global arena.