Back Stages: Essays Across Art, Performance, and Public Life

Shannon Jackson's collection of essays, "Back Stages," explores the social and aesthetic practice of performance, engaging with disciplinary, institutional, and political puzzles. It considers the historical connection between performance and social reform, analyzes disciplinary debates, and highlights artists and cultural organizations that challenge conventions. Jackson navigates the political ambivalences of performance, from the late nineteenth to the twenty-first century, and explores cross-disciplinary connections.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2022
Publisher: Northwestern University Press

Shannon Jackson delves into a captivating collection of twenty essential essays, spanning her illustrious career, in her exploration of disciplinary, institutional, and political puzzles that engage the social and aesthetic practice of performance. The book begins by delving into the historical connection between performance practice and movements of social reform, while subsequent writings analyze the disciplinary debates surrounding the place of performance in higher education and within the contemporary field of socially engaged art. These essays trace intricate and interconnected relationships with literary studies, art history, visual culture, theater, social theory, and critical theory.

In a period of heightened aesthetic experimentation and political discourse within the art world, these essays shed light on artists, groups, and cultural organizations whose innovative experiments have challenged conventional notions of curation and critique. Notable figures such as Theaster Gates, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Harrel Fletcher, and My Barbarian are featured, highlighting their groundbreaking contributions to the field. Throughout her journey, Jackson navigates the complex political ambivalences of performance, spanning from the late nineteenth to the twenty-first century. She observes the shifting landscape of participatory art, which seeks to resist capitalism, yet paradoxically risks neoliberal appropriation within a post-Fordist experience economy.

Back Stages unveils unexpected cross-disciplinary connections, offering new avenues for mutual engagement within a diverse network of educational, artistic, and civic sectors. A substantial introduction provides valuable insights into the critical links between the essays and various disciplines and movements, enriching the reader's understanding of the broader context. This thought-provoking book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, artists, and anyone interested in the dynamic world of performance and its profound impact on society.

Weight: 630g
Dimension: 153 x 229 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780810144842