Feeling for Feminism: Valuing Emotion in Contemporary Feminist Performance
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen Mary University of London
Department Name: Drama
Abstract
My thesis will argue that feelings matter in contemporary feminist performance. In this current social and political moment, it is emotional expression, rather than rational thought, which is dominating political and cultural discourse. My project will place serious critical attention on the feelings of the audiences of feminist performance in order to argue that feelings are crucial to understanding the nature of feminism in performance and the wider world today.
The importance of the feelings of the spectator in feminist performance is under explored. Although there has been some work carried out by scholars concerning the importance of affect and the role of the spectator in performance, attention needs to be given to the specific relationship between feelings and feminism in a modern context. The impact of the extreme inequalities that have faced women in recent years, have been deeply, and often violently, felt by women. In a so-called 'postfeminist' society that is currently refusing to listen to the thinking and voices of women, investigating feeling in performance can be extremely productive in terms of understanding the nature of women's struggles today, and also in bringing about change.
Bridging the fields of spectatorship and feminist performance theory, I will put forward an innovative and much-needed framework through which to understand the nature of contemporary feminist performance, by conducting a research project that is specifically and meaningfully centred around audience feeling.
I will conduct this research project through a comparative audience study across three feminist performances at theatres in London, each case study making up one chapter of my thesis. Firstly, I will conduct a dramaturgical analysis from watching the performances myself and reflecting on my own experiences as a feminist spectator. Then, I will gather qualitative data from audiences through a variety of research methods: such as surveys, interviews and discussions. By presenting my research in conjunction with theoretical arguments in the field of spectatorship and feminist performance, I will argue for a repositioning of feeling at the centre of feminist performance analysis.
My project will provide an in-depth study of the feelings produced in contemporary feminist theatre. The comparative audience study will allow me to investigate what feelings are present in the spectator in different contexts, and what this can tell researchers about feminist sentiment now. Through this enquiry, I aim to provide a new basis at the intersection of feminist performance studies and audience research, that will lead to a better understanding of the value of feeling in performance.
After a theoretical introduction, each chapter will concern one of my three case studies. As the performances for my case studies will not be predetermined, the details of what each will reveal is still unknown. However, each case study will be introduced with an in-depth analysis of the cultural politics and material conditions of the theatrical institution in which the performance is situated. This will allow for a robust enquiry into the particularity of each feminist performance. My aim is that, by analysing women's affective response to feminist performance, significant discoveries will be made in understanding the ways that injustices are undeniably and insidiously felt by women.
My conclusion will consolidate how these findings demonstrate why feelings matter in feminist performance. I will argue that by valuing and taking seriously the responses of women inside the theatre, more will be learned about how women feel about injustices faced outside the theatre. Furthermore, the project will reveal the particular institutional and social value of theatre as a place for provoking, expressing, and sharing feelings and for instigating social change.
The importance of the feelings of the spectator in feminist performance is under explored. Although there has been some work carried out by scholars concerning the importance of affect and the role of the spectator in performance, attention needs to be given to the specific relationship between feelings and feminism in a modern context. The impact of the extreme inequalities that have faced women in recent years, have been deeply, and often violently, felt by women. In a so-called 'postfeminist' society that is currently refusing to listen to the thinking and voices of women, investigating feeling in performance can be extremely productive in terms of understanding the nature of women's struggles today, and also in bringing about change.
Bridging the fields of spectatorship and feminist performance theory, I will put forward an innovative and much-needed framework through which to understand the nature of contemporary feminist performance, by conducting a research project that is specifically and meaningfully centred around audience feeling.
I will conduct this research project through a comparative audience study across three feminist performances at theatres in London, each case study making up one chapter of my thesis. Firstly, I will conduct a dramaturgical analysis from watching the performances myself and reflecting on my own experiences as a feminist spectator. Then, I will gather qualitative data from audiences through a variety of research methods: such as surveys, interviews and discussions. By presenting my research in conjunction with theoretical arguments in the field of spectatorship and feminist performance, I will argue for a repositioning of feeling at the centre of feminist performance analysis.
My project will provide an in-depth study of the feelings produced in contemporary feminist theatre. The comparative audience study will allow me to investigate what feelings are present in the spectator in different contexts, and what this can tell researchers about feminist sentiment now. Through this enquiry, I aim to provide a new basis at the intersection of feminist performance studies and audience research, that will lead to a better understanding of the value of feeling in performance.
After a theoretical introduction, each chapter will concern one of my three case studies. As the performances for my case studies will not be predetermined, the details of what each will reveal is still unknown. However, each case study will be introduced with an in-depth analysis of the cultural politics and material conditions of the theatrical institution in which the performance is situated. This will allow for a robust enquiry into the particularity of each feminist performance. My aim is that, by analysing women's affective response to feminist performance, significant discoveries will be made in understanding the ways that injustices are undeniably and insidiously felt by women.
My conclusion will consolidate how these findings demonstrate why feelings matter in feminist performance. I will argue that by valuing and taking seriously the responses of women inside the theatre, more will be learned about how women feel about injustices faced outside the theatre. Furthermore, the project will reveal the particular institutional and social value of theatre as a place for provoking, expressing, and sharing feelings and for instigating social change.
