Ritual and Cultural Performance Hui and Symposium

full name / name of organization: 
University of Otago Performance of the Real Research Theme

"Every day people perform dozens of rituals. These range from religious rituals to the rituals of everyday life, from the rituals of life roles to the rituals of each profession, from the rituals of politics and the judicial system to the rituals of business or home life. Even animals perform rituals" (Richard Schechner, Performance Studies: An Introduction 3rd ed. 52).

The University of Otago Performance of the Real Research Theme warmly invites you to present your research at the Theme's inaugural event: The Ritual and Cultural Performance Hui and Symposium. This event investigates the performativity of ritual and cultural enactments, which are integral to many aspects of our lives. The central question of the symposium is: what is it that makes ritual and cultural performances so compelling and pervasive in the contemporary world? With this question in mind, you are invited to submit abstracts for presentations on subjects including, but not limited to:

• rites of passage • ritual in sport
• carnivals/festivals • ritual and indigenous worldviews
• dance, music and/or • culture and hybridity
theatre and ritual • secular and sacred rituals
• ritual in healing • liminal performances
• gender performativity • 'traditions'
• food and its rituals • performance in everyday life

While oral presentations are, of course, welcome we particularly encourage you to consider proposing practice-led presentations (i.e. presentations where performance is the sole or primary means of communicating ideas) or performances. We also encourage you to consider that the word 'symposium' carries with it inferences from its Greek root-word meaning 'a convivial party with music and conversation.'
Presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions and discussion.

Please send us your application as a Word document, and use your surname as the document title. Please clearly indicate the title of your presentation, as well as your full name (first name, surname) and institutional affiliation (if relevant). Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words.

To register your abstract for consideration, please email Dr Jennifer Cattermole jennifer.cattermole@otago.ac.nz

The due date for abstracts is: Friday 5th February 2016.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter on:

https://www.facebook.com/performanceofthereal/
https://twitter.com/performingreal