The celebration of Hallowe’en has only emerged in Australia over the past decade or so. While many disagree with its incursion into our culture and reject its ‘American’ and commercial implications, and regardless of its cultural significance, it can be seen as a means of reclaiming public space for community and communal association.
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Across the western world, the past few decades have seen a reduction in social capital: the voluntary and informal associations with and within our communities.
In 2000, noted American sociologist, Professor Robert Putnam, wrote a landmark book called Bowling Alone in which he charted the decline of social capital in the US. His thesis was that the pressures of modern life, which include such factors as the need for two incomes in families, an increasing reliance on cars for transportation and the fear of allowing children to walk or play in public places, were contributing to society becoming more fragmented as free and unstructured associations were superseded by more individualistic behavioural patterns.
Activities for children are increasingly more structured and organised. Sporting teams and clubs are favoured over unstructured outdoor play. Children loitering in public places are automatically deemed to be ‘up to no good’ or ‘in danger’, rather than simply being kids hanging around. We no longer use the streets for communal activities and in fact, seem to have forgotten that the streets exist for communities, not for traffic. By giving precedence to traffic over people, we are tacitly contributing to the decline in social capital.
Which brings us back to Hallowe’en. Putting aside all the cultural and commercial associations, it is an opportunity to take back the streets, at least on one night of the year. It is an opportunity for families to freely and voluntarily associate together in a spirit of fun and enjoyment, for children to feel that they have a place in the public domain and don’t have to be locked into structured activities or schedules.
In country towns the decline in social capital is less obvious than in cities, but the warning signs are all around that people are wary about taking to the streets. Using our public spaces for the public should not be seen as a radical act, yet we are making it so.
As a community we shouldn’t need excuses to reclaim our public spaces, but Hallowe’en is one opportunity to do so in the spirit of a shared occasion.
