Collective Effervescence. Though this term was coined by sociologist Émile Durkheim more than 100 years ago, I just learned about it this year. I was introduced to these words on Instagram and TikTok. I didn’t know the terminology, but I definitely know the experience:
Collective effervescence is an experience of joy, unity, belonging, or synergy of emotion when people are gathered together in a shared context for a common purpose.
As Durkheim shared, “‘The very fact of congregating is an exceptionally powerful stimulant. Once the individuals are gathered together, a sort of electricity is generated from their closeness and that quickly launches them to an extraordinary height of exaltation.” [1]
I bet you know this experience, too:
A concert. A religious or spiritual ceremony. A sporting match. A protest. A community event.
Collective singing. Collaboration. Teamwork. Mutual support. A recognition of shared kinship.
These experiences can be planned or spontaneous. They can be moving and powerful, even transformative — inwardly and collectively. Of course, the same collective energy can be shaped toward harm as well, which is a sobering reminder of how powerful this force can be. But today, I’m thinking about the moments when that shared spark leads us toward connection, creativity, and care.
These moments can take place in person, but I’ve also discovered that they can happen over distance, even through Zoom or over the phone. There are many possibilities.
If collective effervescence can emerge simply by gathering… what might be possible if we try to shape these moments deliberately? I don’t think they can be forced, and they’re certainly not formulaic, but if we can create the kind of spaces where people feel seen, safe, and open to joy, maybe we can help these moments find us more often.
I want to be a student of these kinds of experiences — and together with others (that’s the point, after all), keep curating space for them to emerge.
[1] Émile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, trans. Karen E. Fields (New York: Free Press, 1995).
Smuggling Grace 