🎭Intro to Performance Studies Unit 7 – Performance and Identity

Key Concepts in Performance and Identity

• Performance studies explores the relationship between identity and performance, examining how individuals construct, express, and negotiate their identities through various forms of performance
• Identity is a complex, multifaceted concept that encompasses an individual's sense of self, including their social roles, cultural affiliations, and personal characteristics
• Performance can be understood as any form of embodied action or behavior that communicates meaning, including everyday interactions, cultural rituals, and artistic performances
• Performativity refers to the idea that identity is not a fixed, inherent quality, but rather something that is actively constructed and reinforced through repeated performances
  • Gender performativity (Judith Butler) suggests that gender identity is not innate but is instead a product of repeated performances that conform to societal norms and expectations
• Identity formation is an ongoing process that involves the interplay between individual agency and social structures, as individuals navigate and negotiate their identities within specific cultural contexts
• Performance can serve as a means of resistance, subversion, or transformation, allowing individuals to challenge dominant norms and assert alternative identities
• The relationship between performance and identity is reciprocal, as performances both shape and are shaped by an individual's sense of self and social positioning

Historical Context of Performance Studies

• Performance studies emerged as an interdisciplinary field in the latter half of the 20th century, drawing on insights from anthropology, sociology, theater, and cultural studies
• Early performance theorists, such as Richard Schechner and Victor Turner, emphasized the importance of studying performance across cultures and in everyday life, not just in traditional theatrical settings
• The field of performance studies has been influenced by various intellectual movements, including poststructuralism, feminism, and postcolonial theory, which have challenged traditional notions of identity and representation
• The "performative turn" in the social sciences and humanities marked a shift towards understanding social phenomena through the lens of performance, recognizing the role of embodied action in shaping social realities
• Performance studies has increasingly focused on issues of power, marginality, and social justice, examining how performance can be used to resist oppression and assert alternative identities
• The development of performance ethnography has emphasized the importance of reflexivity and collaboration in the study of performance, acknowledging the researcher's own positionality and the ethical implications of representing others' experiences
• Contemporary performance studies continues to evolve, engaging with new technologies, globalization, and the changing landscape of identity politics in the 21st century

Theories of Identity Formation

• Identity formation theories seek to explain how individuals develop a sense of self and how this sense of self is shaped by social, cultural, and historical factors
• Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of development posits that identity formation is a key task of adolescence, involving the exploration and commitment to various roles and values
• Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner) emphasizes the importance of group membership in shaping an individual's sense of self, as people derive self-esteem and a sense of belonging from their identification with social groups
• Symbolic interactionism (Mead, Blumer) suggests that identity is formed through social interaction, as individuals internalize the attitudes and expectations of others and use these to guide their own behavior
• Poststructuralist theories, such as those of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, challenge the notion of a fixed, essential identity, instead emphasizing the role of discourse and power in shaping subjectivity
  • Foucault's concept of the "docile body" highlights how disciplinary practices and institutions shape individuals' identities and behaviors
• Intersectionality theory (Crenshaw) recognizes the ways in which multiple social identities (e.g., race, gender, class) intersect and interact to shape an individual's experiences and opportunities
• Narrative identity theory (McAdams) proposes that individuals construct a coherent sense of self through the stories they tell about their lives, integrating past experiences and future aspirations into a meaningful narrative
• Identity formation is an ongoing, dynamic process that involves both individual agency and social constraint, as individuals actively negotiate their identities within the context of broader social structures and cultural norms

Performance as Self-Expression

• Performance can serve as a powerful means of self-expression, allowing individuals to explore, affirm, and communicate their identities
• Through performance, individuals can experiment with different roles, identities, and ways of being, testing out new possibilities and pushing the boundaries of their sense of self
• Performance can be a way of asserting agency and resisting dominant norms and expectations, as individuals use their bodies and voices to challenge oppressive structures and assert alternative identities
• Autobiographical performance, such as solo shows or memoirs, allows individuals to share their personal stories and experiences, giving voice to marginalized perspectives and fostering empathy and understanding
• Performance can also be a means of healing and transformation, as individuals use creative expression to work through trauma, navigate transitions, and imagine new possibilities for themselves and their communities
• Drag performance, for example, can be a way of subverting traditional gender norms and exploring alternative forms of gender expression and identity
• Performance art often blurs the boundaries between art and life, challenging the distinction between the "real" self and the performed self and highlighting the constructed nature of identity
• Digital performances, such as social media profiles or online avatars, offer new opportunities for self-expression and identity exploration, as individuals curate and present different versions of themselves in virtual spaces

Cultural Influences on Performance

• Cultural norms, values, and expectations shape the ways in which individuals perform their identities, as well as the meanings and interpretations attached to those performances
• Different cultures may have distinct performance traditions, such as ritual practices, storytelling, or dance forms, which serve to transmit cultural knowledge, values, and identities across generations
• Cultural performances, such as festivals, parades, or religious ceremonies, can be sites of identity formation and negotiation, as individuals both enact and challenge cultural norms and expectations
• Globalization and cultural exchange have led to the emergence of hybrid and syncretic performance forms, as individuals and communities navigate multiple cultural influences and create new forms of expression
  • Bollywood dance, for example, blends elements of Indian classical dance, folk traditions, and Western popular culture to create a distinct cultural performance genre
• Cultural performances can also be sites of cultural contestation and resistance, as marginalized groups use performance to assert their identities and challenge dominant cultural narratives
• The cultural politics of representation shape the ways in which certain identities and experiences are represented (or misrepresented) in performance, reflecting broader power dynamics and struggles over cultural meaning
• Cultural appropriation in performance raises ethical questions about the use and misuse of cultural forms and identities, particularly when members of dominant groups adopt or commodify the cultural expressions of marginalized communities
• The cultural context in which a performance takes place can significantly shape its meaning and reception, as audiences bring their own cultural frameworks and expectations to bear on their interpretation of the performance

Analyzing Identity in Performance

• Analyzing identity in performance involves examining how performers construct, express, and negotiate their identities through embodied action, as well as how audiences interpret and respond to those performances
• Close reading of performance texts, such as scripts, scores, or documentation, can reveal the ways in which identity is encoded and communicated through language, imagery, and structure
• Semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, can be used to analyze how performers use costume, props, movement, and other visual and auditory elements to convey meaning and construct identity
• Discourse analysis examines how language and communication shape identity in performance, attending to the ways in which performers use speech, dialogue, and narrative to position themselves and others
• Ethnographic approaches to performance analysis involve close observation and participation in performance events, as researchers seek to understand the cultural contexts and lived experiences that shape identity performances
• Audience reception studies investigate how spectators interpret and respond to performances of identity, examining the ways in which their own social positions and cultural frameworks shape their understanding and engagement
• Intersectional analysis attends to the ways in which multiple social identities and power relations intersect and interact in performance, shaping the possibilities and constraints for identity expression and recognition
• Comparative analysis can reveal how performances of identity vary across cultural, historical, and social contexts, illuminating the ways in which identity is both culturally specific and globally interconnected

Case Studies and Examples

• "The Vagina Monologues" (Eve Ensler) is a feminist performance piece that explores women's experiences and identities through a series of monologues, challenging taboos around female sexuality and empowering women to speak their truths
• "Paris is Burning" (Jennie Livingston) is a documentary film that examines the ballroom culture of New York City's African American and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities in the 1980s, highlighting the ways in which performance serves as a means of survival, resistance, and self-expression for marginalized individuals
• "Border Brujo" (Guillermo Gómez-Peña) is a performance art piece that explores the complexities of Chicano identity and the experience of living between cultures, using a mix of poetry, storytelling, and ritual to challenge stereotypes and assert a hybrid, transnational sense of self
• "The Laramie Project" (Moisés Kaufman) is a play based on interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming, following the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard, using a documentary theater approach to explore issues of homophobia, community, and identity in small-town America
• "Fires in the Mirror" (Anna Deavere Smith) is a one-woman show that explores the racial tensions and violence that erupted in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 1991, using verbatim excerpts from interviews with community members to create a complex, multivocal portrait of identity and conflict
• "M. Butterfly" (David Henry Hwang) is a play that subverts the Orientalist narrative of Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly," exploring issues of gender, sexuality, and cultural identity through the story of a French diplomat's relationship with a Chinese opera singer who is revealed to be a man and a spy
• "The Wooster Group" is an experimental theater company known for its postmodern, multimedia performances that deconstruct and recombine cultural texts and identities, often exploring issues of race, gender, and power through a fragmented, non-linear aesthetic

Practical Applications and Exercises

• Encourage students to create and perform autobiographical pieces that explore their own identities and experiences, using a variety of performance techniques (e.g., monologue, spoken word, movement) to express themselves and share their stories
• Have students analyze and compare performances of identity from different cultural contexts, examining how cultural norms, values, and power relations shape the possibilities and constraints for identity expression and recognition
• Assign students to conduct ethnographic observations of cultural performances in their own communities, attending to the ways in which these performances construct and negotiate individual and collective identities
• Organize a performance workshop in which students experiment with different performance techniques and styles, exploring how different modes of expression shape their sense of self and their ability to communicate with others
• Have students create and perform short scenes that explore the intersections of different social identities (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality), using performance to illuminate the complexities and contradictions of identity formation
• Encourage students to critically reflect on their own performances of identity in everyday life, keeping a journal or blog in which they analyze how they construct and negotiate their identities through embodied action and interaction
• Organize a class performance event in which students showcase their own performance pieces, providing a supportive and inclusive space for identity exploration and expression
• Have students research and present on a specific case study or example of identity performance, analyzing how the performance reflects and shapes broader cultural, historical, and political contexts