Status: In Preparation

Abstract: This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding riots as interaction ritual webs, drawing on Durkheim’s concept of collective effervescence and Collins’ interaction ritual theory. I analyze how violent encounters generate emotional energy that sustains and spreads collective action.

Methods: Theoretical development, ethnographic analysis, video analysis of riot events

Key Contributions:

• Extends interaction ritual theory to violent collective action
• Explains how emotional energy sustains violence over time
• Provides framework for understanding violence as social ritual

Implications: Offers new theoretical tools for understanding the emotional and ritual dimensions of collective violence, with applications for violence prevention and community healing.