Walker Riley "Communitas"

Turner describes the difference between communitas and community in his book, and I would have to agree with what he says. He refers to community as a group of people who are close, but communitas is something much more powerful and almost secret. An example of this I think are the hikers on the Appalachian Trail. There is a community between all of them, but it's not something that everybody can experience. Also, there is a lot of stuff that goes on within the AT that a lot of people probably don't know about. It's like a special bond that people wouldn't just be able to see from the outside. I think this is what Turner is talking about when he refers to communitas. I've experienced this with my close friends, and I think almost everyone does at some point in their lives. It's a powerful bond much stronger than that of a regular community, and I think Turner does a good job explaining that.