We would like to invite researchers to submit their abstracts to the Political Performances Working Group at the 2023 IFTR conference, which will take place in Accra, Ghana, 24 to 28 July 2023.

In line with the established practice of the Political Performances Working Group @ IFTR, we have identified three loose strands that reflect the recent work of scholars in the wider field of political performances, but also align with the 2023 conference theme:

The Stories We Tell: Myths, Myth Making and Performance

The Political Performances Working Group therefore invites proposals for papers on the following topics:

(A) Epistemologies
Political theatre & performance in relation to hierarchies of knowledge; truth and post-truth; histories and traditions of performance activism; the generation of distinct theoretical and historical frameworks and their problematising; histories and mythologies of racialisation and difference; neoliberalism as myth/the myths of neoliberalism; utopian and/or dystopian dramaturgies; the dominant narratives of cultural democracy and cultural policy; myths about democracy; political myths; materialist myths and mythologies. Political dramaturgies emerging from these/related issues.

(B) Place
Political theatre & performance in relation to, local/regional/national and international myths; national myths and symbols as brands; histories and practices; nationalisms; physical and social reality; inclusion and exclusion; urban and rural contexts, their rhythms and associated mythologies. Political dramaturgies emerging from these/related issue.

(C) Temporalities

Political theatre & political performance in relation to historical manifestations of political theatre and performance; futurity; ritual; prophecy; traditional mythologies in relation to contemporary practices; possession; transition and change; hauntology; displacement/replacement; the fantastic. Political dramaturgies emerging from these/related issues.

Working Methods

The Working Group pre-circulates work-in-progress/paper drafts in advance of each conference. This allows more time for critical response and discussion from members of the group, who will have read the papers in advance. The work of the Group relies on the exchange of ideas building over the course of the conference. We therefore expect participants to attend all PPWG meetings at the conference. We aim to make reasonable adjustments for members whose circumstances do not allow this level of commitment but recommend that colleagues unable to attend the majority of WG sessions apply to the General Panels.

NB: The group welcomes research not only on contemporary political theatre, political performance and performative activism, but also on historical manifestations of political theatre and performance, and diachronic research.

Abstract Submission

Please submit abstracts through the Cambridge Core website. In order to make a submission you will need to be a member of IFTR: https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/iftr. When you submit your abstract please make sure to indicate you are submitting to the ‘Political Performances Working Group’.  

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 January 2023. 

Working Group Convenors:

Dr Julia Boll: Universität Konstanz

Dr Cristina Delgado-Garcia: University of Glasgow

Professor Trish Reid: University of Reading

Working Group Contact: iftrpolperf@gmail.com