The Oxford Handbook of Politics and Performance

The Handbook of Politics and Performance explores the relationship between politics and performance, bringing together leading scholars from various disciplines to investigate the common communicational base and language between the two fields. It is organized into seven thematic sections, including performativity and theatricality, identities, sites, scripts, body, voice, and gesture, and affect.

Format: Hardback
Length: 728 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Political scientists and political theorists have long been intrigued by the study of social and political performance. Theatre and performance researchers have frequently delved into the political aspects of live arts, highlighting their significance. However, the interdisciplinary nature of this field has often been taken for granted rather than thoroughly investigated. Moreover, it is essential to integrate the concepts of theatre and performance employed by other disciplines, such as psychology, law, political anthropology, and sociology, into a broader and deeper interdisciplinary engagement. At the core of this new handbook lies the aim of embodying and fostering such engagement.

The Handbook brings together esteemed scholars from the domains of Politics and Performance to chart the evolving interdisciplinary landscape. The authors, hailing from diverse disciplines, explore the intricate relationship between politics and performance, revealing that certain characteristics of political transactions shared by performances hold fundamental importance for both fields. Additionally, they discover that performances and politics share a substantial common communicational base and language.

The volume is structured into seven thematic sections:

The Interdisciplinary Theory of Politics and Performance: This section delves into the theoretical foundations of studying politics and performance, exploring the interplay between these two domains.

Performativity and Theatricality: This section examines the concept of performativity, which refers to the capacity of performances to shape and transform political discourse and practices. It explores the role of theatre and performance in protest, regulation, resistance, change, authority, and legitimacy.

Identities: This section explores the complex interplay of identities, including race, gender, sexuality, class, citizenship, indigeneity, and more. It examines how performances shape and reflect these identities, as well as how they contribute to the construction and negotiation of social identities.

Sites: This section examines the political dimensions of various sites, such as states, borders, markets, law, religion, and more. It explores how performances interact with these sites, shaping and influencing political processes and outcomes.

Scripts: This section examines the role of scripts in shaping political transactions and performances. It explores the concepts of accountability, authority authority
authority and legitimacy, security, ceremony, sustainability, and more. It also examines how performances utilize scripts to convey messages, establish authority, and maintain power dynamics.

Body, Voice, and Gesture: This section explores the expressive aspects of political performances, including representation, leadership, participation, rhetoric, disruption, and more. It examines how performances use body, voice, and gesture to convey meaning, evoke emotions, and engage audiences.

Affect: This section examines the role of affect in shaping political performances and processes. It explores the impact of media, care, love, empathy, comedy, populism, memory, and other forms of affect on political discourse and practices.

In conclusion, this Handbook provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the interdisciplinary relationship between politics and performance. By bringing together leading scholars from diverse fields, it offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics that shape political transactions and performances. It highlights the importance of integrating concepts from various disciplines to deepen our understanding of the world and fosters interdisciplinary engagement to address pressing social and political challenges.

Weight: 1454g
Dimension: 183 x 255 x 54 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780190863456