Dance, Space and Subjectivity
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CHICHESTER an accredited college of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON DANCE, SPACE AND SUBJECTIVITY Valerie A. Briginshaw This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by publication. DANCE DEPARTMENT, SCHOOL OF THE ARTS October 2001 This thesis has been completed as a requirement for a higher degree of the University of Southampton. WS 2205643 2 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 ..::r'.). NE '2...10 0 2. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CmCHESTER an accredited college of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT DANCE Doctor of Philosophy DANCE, SPACE AND SUBJECTIVITY by Valerie A. Briginshaw This thesis has been completed as a requirement for a higher degree of the University of Southampton Thisthesis, by examining relationships between dancing bodies and space, argues that postmodern dance can challenge traditional representations of subjectivity and suggest alternatives. Through close readings of postmodern dances, informed by current critical theory, constructions of subjectivity are explored. The limits and extent of subjectivity are exposed when and where bodies meet space. Through a precise focus on this body/space interface, I reveal various ways in which dance can challenge, trouble and question fixed perceptions of subjectivity. The representation in dance of the constituents of difference that partly make up subjectivity, (such as gender, 'race', sexuality and ability), is a main focus in the exploration of body/space relationships presented in the thesis. Based on the premise that dance, space and subjectivity are constructions that can mutually inform and construct each other, this thesis offers frameworks for exploring space and subjectivity in dance. These explorations draw on a selective reading of pertinent poststructuralist theories which are all concerned with critiquing the premises of Western philosophy, which revolve around the concept of an ideal, rational, unified subject, which, in turn, relies on dualistic thinking that enforces a way of seeing things in terms of binary oppositions.
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