Performance, Politics & the Role of Art in Social Change
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BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: performance, politics & the role of art in social change TALYA LEODARI A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, United Kingdom December 2011 ABSTRACT Between Two Worlds: performance, politics & the role of art in social change This thesis draws on the literatures surrounding identity, emotion and affect in order to consider the theatrical as a site of the political. In doing this it takes an interdisciplinary approach, using concepts from international politics, philosophy, anthropology, history and theatre to construct its case. The argument opens with a review of literatures pertaining to identity and emotion, both in international relations and more widely in the literatures of political philosophy, morality and ethics. Having established that there is a sound academic footing for inclusion of both in a study of the political, the argument proceeds to explore the literature relating to the theatrical – its history, uses and potential. After a discussion of methodologies, with a focus on quantitative technologies, particularly feminist, ethnographic and mediative methodologies; the discussion moves first to an introduction to the field sites and then an analysis of the fieldwork proper. The fieldwork, conducted among theatre students and professionals in Israel and Palestine, consists of interviews and observations drawn from workshops and performances. Through this empirical research the thesis demonstrates an understanding among theatre professionals that their art performs as a political site. The thesis concludes with a summary of the proceeding work, a reiteration of the main themes and a brief reflection on underlying emotional currents within the text. My original contribution to the literature of international politics lies in my exploration of the political nature of the theatrical. This interdisciplinary approach seeks to further the direct engagement of academic politics with political life “on the ground”, as well as an expansion of the ways in which we conceptualize that political life. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of this thesis took place over the course of six years, three continents and two topics. As is the case with any project of this scale the assistance of friends and colleagues has been invaluable to its successful completion. As such I offer my gratitude to the following: My supervisors, Dr. Simon Philpott and Dr. Kyle Grayson, whose advice and patience with my ill temper have been appreciated more than I am adequately able to express; Dr. Derek Bell, whose understanding and assistance made it possible for me to continue the degree at a time when I thought I would be unable to do so; Those friends, colleagues and family members whose emotional and editorial support sustained me through the worst parts of the process: Dr. Viccy Adams, Sarah Burton, Dr. Matt Davies, Steph Debner, Dr. Malcah Effron, Gigi Herbert, Dr. Helen Jarvis, Miriam Jarvis, Tamara Lewis, Dr. Sarah Lieberman, Dr. Cait Patrick, Dave Smith and Simon Winch; Glenn Bowman, whose regional expertise and unofficial mentoring allowed me to see the purpose of my work at the bleakest times; My field contacts, herein named only in pseudonym, who gave generously of their time, thoughts, and life’s work; Elizabeth O’Shea, provider of common sense advice and plain English counselling as well as walks, dogs and Irish tea; Dr. Melissa Demian, steadfast friend for twenty years and peerless travel companion, who always offers sage advice and a dram of whisky; My mother, Florence Sheinkman, for everything; Jonathan Sher, Janet Finegar and Helen Sher, without whom this thesis really would never have reached completion. Without their provision of houseroom, financial support and unconditional love I would have been ABD for the next twenty years. Likewise the extended family of Wareham Barkers; most notably Betsy and Don, Emily and Elias; welcomed me into their family and provided love, support and the use of Windrock for a much-needed writing retreat. Finally, although he arrived fashionably late to the dance that this project has been, Tim Abbott provides emotional and editorial support, love, and linguistic sustenance without measure. Always. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations v A Word on Terminology vi The Writing Voice viii INTRODUCTION: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS 1 Research Problem: Identity & Emotion, ‘Self’ & ‘Other’ 2 Discussion of Chapters 6 Introduction to the Literature 8 “Not Fixed by Nature”: Conceptualizing Identity 8 “Dangerous Desires”: Emotion vs. Reason in Traditional IR 20 Foregrounding Emotion and Affect 25 CHAPTER 1 33 “THE POLITICAL” AND “THE THEATRICAL” Exiles at the Margins: Freeing “the Political” 35 The Potential of “the Theatrical” 43 Theatre as Politics 53 Theatrical Geography: Myth, Religion, Politics 53 Theatre as Social Commentary: 56 The Playwright as Educator Chapter Summary 60 CHAPTER 2 61 SNAPSHOTS FROM THE FIELD: A WORD ON METHOD Methodological Techniques 63 Qualitative vs. Quantitative 64 “Thick Description”: Anthropological Ethnography 69 Contacting the Political Process: Political Ethnography 71 Embodied Accounts: Feminist Methodology 76 Methodological Reflections 80 Interpretations of Risk 81 Facts on the Ground 83 Identity 84 Security 86 Environment 87 Design of Fieldwork 89 Responsibility in the Field 92 Chapter Summary 94 CHAPTER 3 96 ‘SELF’ AND THE ‘OTHER’: NATIONAL THEATRES IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE History of Habima Theatre 97 History of Palestinian Theatre/ el-Hakawati 102 Introduction to Fieldwork 104 iii CHAPTER 4 109 “BREAKING THE WALL IN THEIR HEARTS”: POLITICS, PERFORMANCE, YOUTH & THEATRE Field Contacts, Youth Groups and Empirical Representations 110 Acting Methods: “Youth Play Peace” 112 What a Wonderful World We Can Make 118 Forum Theatre: Changing Reality Through Theatre 118 Wolfland 119 Biladi-Tikvah 120 Chapter Summary 122 CHAPTER 5 123 THEATRE UNDER OCCUPATION: “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS” Theatre Inside the Green Line 126 Theatre Under Occupation 134 Chapter Summary: The Importance of “the Other in Me” 149 CHAPTER 6 151 “HOPE IS BULLETPROOF”: JULIANO MER-KHAMIS & THE FREEDOM THEATRE OF JENIN “The Fault Line of Creativity and Doom” 152 The Jasmine Revolution 158 CONCLUDING REMARKS: 161 THE POINT OF TANGENCY “The Thing With Feathers”: Reflections on Hope 164 APPENDICES A: Rigid Identities: Alexander Wendt & Constructivism 166 B: Historical Intersections/Historical Context 178 (including a discussion of censorship) C: Performativity and Performance Theory 193 D: A Brief Introduction to National Theatre Movements 196 E: Additional Fieldwork Information & Interview Measures 198 WORKS CONSULTED 200 iv ABBREVIATIONS AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome BCE Before the Common Era EU European Union FP Foreign Policy HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus HUAC House Un-American Activities Committee IDF Israel Defence Forces IOF Israel Occupation Forces IPE International Political Economy IR International Relations IRC International Rescue Committee ISA International Studies Association MAT Moscow Art Theatre MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israeli) MK Member of the Knesset NGO Non-government Organization OED Oxford English Dictionary OIHT Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre PCI Palestinian Citizen of Israel UK United Kingdom US or USA United States of America USS United States Ship USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) v A WORD ON TERMINOLOGY For the purpose of clarity, it is important that I define the terms that will be used in this project, particularly the contentious or controversial ones. Although not disputed in itself, the notion of theatre means different things to different people. In this work I will be relying on the definition of ‘theatre’ and, by extension ‘performance’, put forth in The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre (OIHT): […] theatre is taken here to include any performance by actors for other persons, when what is performed is calculated to hold attention and give pleasure, as well as providing other benefits according to time, place and opportunity (OIHT 1995, 4) This is, by design, a broad definition, and one that allows me to draw on multiple examples from a variety of geographic and historical scenarios. Not only is identity contentious as a concept, the vocabulary used to denote it is fraught with political overtones and double, if not triple, meanings. Because of this, I have included a quick discussion of which terms I am using and what meanings I am assigning to them. I use the term Jewish Israeli to refer to a citizen of Israel who considers themselves Jewish. This self-description does not make use of the Orthodox criteria for “Jewishness”. I have chosen to use the term Palestinian Citizen of Israel (PCI) rather than the term Arab Israeli, with the exception of times when an interview subject has used the term Arab Israeli and I have used a direct quote in the text. For me, the term Arab Israeli has political overtones, ignoring, as it does, the identifier “Palestinian”, thereby negating what for some people is a cultural, ethnic and/or national affiliation. I have used the term Palestinian to refer to Arabs who live in the Occupied Territories (Gaza and the West Bank) and consider themselves to be Palestinians1. Some of these people may also be citizens of other countries like Jordan or Syria, or hold no citizenship at all, merely travel documents issued by the Israeli government. In the third chapter, the one relating to national theatres, there is an additional confusion to identity terminology. In much of the literature used when researching that chapter, the term Palestinian is often used to refer to the Jews, either native born or émigrés, who were living in the region under the British Mandate. To take this time-specific use of the term into account, in this chapter I refer to Jewish Palestinians and Arab Palestinians, for to refer to the Jews as Israelis would be historically inaccurate. 1 As opposed to, for example, an Arab native of Saudi Arabia who is living in Palestine. This is a clarification for hypothetical reasons – I encountered no such person during the course of my research.