Six of the best books about the allure of crowds & community

John Drury is professor of social psychology at the University of Sussex; his research interests focus on collective behaviour in mass emergencies, riots and other crowd events.

At the Guardian he tagged six of the best books about the allure of crowds and community, including:

With mass gatherings still banned, Barbara Ehrenreich’s account of communal celebrations through history, Dancing in the Streets, shows what we’re missing. People have come together for carnivals since the middle ages, but these exuberant gatherings have shaped sporting celebrations and even demonstrations such as the 1990 protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle, where people banged drums, blew horns and partied. Ehrenreich also demonstrates that much music is only properly appreciated through dancing with other people. Little wonder some are flocking to illegal raves and street parties.

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue