Performing the Greek Crisis: Navigating National Identity in the Age of Austerity

The Greek financial crisis (2009–19) had a significant impact on the performing arts sector in Greece, particularly on contemporary concert dance. Natalie Zervou's book explores the repercussions of the crisis on artists' daily lives and experiences, weaving the personal with the political to humanize a phenomenon that had been examined chiefly through economic and statistical lenses. Dance has historically held a central role in the process of national identity construction in Greece, and as the crisis coincided with the European Refugee Crisis, dancing bodies became agents to advocate for human rights. By centering the analysis of the Greek crisis on the dancing bodies, Performing the Greek Crisis is able to examine the various ways that artists reconceptualized their history and reframed ideas of national belonging, race, citizenship, and immigration.

Format: Hardback
Length: 252 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2024
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

The Greek Crisis explores the impact of the Greek financial crisis (2009–19) on the performing arts sector in Greece, particularly contemporary concert dance. When Greece became the first European Union member to be threatened with default, budget cuts pushed dance to develop in unprecedented directions. The book examines the repercussions of the crisis on artists' daily lives and experiences, weaving the personal with the political to humanize a phenomenon that had been examined chiefly through economic and statistical lenses. Informed by her own experience of growing up in Greece and including interviews and rich descriptions of performances, Natalie Zervou offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in Greek history.

In Greece, dance has historically held a central role in the process of national identity construction. When the crisis broke out, artists had to navigate a precariously fluctuating landscape, with their bodies as their only stable referent. In Greece, dance has held a historical role in national identity construction of Greece as the cradle of Western civilization. As the financial crisis coincided with the European Refugee Crisis, dancing bodies became agents to advocate for human rights. By centering the analysis of the Greek crisis on the dancing bodies, Performing the Greek Crisis is able to examine the various ways that artists reconceptualized their history and reframed ideas of national belonging, race, citizenship, and immigration.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472076758