Performance, Subjectivity, Cosmopolitanism

The book explores the relationship between contemporary theatre practices and cosmopolitanism, arguing that performance arts can serve as a training ground for this social behavior. It examines how European and North American theatres stage this divided subjectivity, both from within and from without.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 09 August 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The relationship between modern theater practices and cosmopolitanism, a philosophical framework of social behavior rooted in our responsibility, respect, and genuine interest in others, is explored in this book. In a world marked by global conflicts, mass migration, and the resurgence of nationalism, advocating for cosmopolitanism has become an urgent necessity. Through the power of empathy, affect, and the personal narratives of displacement experienced through embodied encounters between actors and their audiences, performance arts can serve as a transformative platform for cultivating this social behavior. At the heart of this encounter lies a new cosmopolitan individual: someone with diverse origins and cultural heritage, who possesses multiple languages and identifies with multiple countries as their place of belonging. The book delves into how European and North American theaters portray this fragmented subjectivity, both from within, through the stories we tell about ourselves to others, and from without, through the stories others tell about us. By examining these dynamics, the book offers valuable insights into the ways in which theater can contribute to the cultivation of a more inclusive and interconnected world.

Weight: 399g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030414122
Edition number: 1st ed. 2020