ABSTRACT
In the mid-1970s, a new phenomenon began to occur in New Orleans’ French Quarter during Mardi Gras. That phenomenon may be described simply as an exchange of beads for nudity. Nudity, of course, has always been a common sight in the area, from the old brothels of Storyville, to the strip clubs of Bourbon Street, to the occasional concomitant of extreme intoxication. Beads are the primary currency of Mardi Gras, thrown from parade floats and balconies. The exchange of beads for nudity is a new kind of ritual, a ceremonial interaction involving negotiation and reciprocity among strangers. Its popularity derives from the modeling of the ritual on the free exchange of goods and services for a generalized medium that is characteristic of capitalism.
