Crisis and Communitas: Performative Concepts of Commonality in Arts and Politics

This book examines philosophical ideas, theoretical concepts, and artistic projects of community in the 20th and 21st centuries in the context of global/local social and political changes. It argues that speculative design is essential for fostering alternative forms of connectivity and going beyond progressivist narratives. It will be of interest to students and scholars in performance studies, cultural studies, political studies, media studies, postcolonial and decolonial studies, and critical anthropology.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 29 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary exploration of a wide array of philosophical ideas, theoretical concepts, and artistic projects related to community in the 20th and 21st centuries, considering the impact of global/local social and political changes. It offers fresh perspectives by delving into carefully selected instances of multipronged crises, where existing notions of commonality are challenged, reformulated, or even speculatively designed with a (better) future in mind. As numerous authors in this volume argue, in the face of today's unparalleled global ecological and economic challenges, speculative design holds immense importance as it can foster alternative, unthought-of forms of connectivity that transcend the narrow narratives of nation, corporation, and nuclear family. The collection specifically examines how multipronged crises provoke antagonisms between egalitarian forms of communitas and the normative concept of the nation (and other normative forms of communities) as a community that separates and excludes. It also scrutinizes philosophical and artistic projects that aim to transcend the dichotomies and typically extrapolated utopias, envisioning new political economies, ways of living, and alternative relational structures.

This book will be of immense interest to students and scholars engaged in performance studies, cultural studies, political studies, media studies, postcolonial and decolonial studies, critical anthropology, and related fields. It provides a rich and multifaceted examination of the complexities and challenges of community in the contemporary world, offering valuable insights and perspectives for future research and discourse.

Weight: 721g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032138053