Theatre as a vortex of behaviour in Dutch multicultural society

A discourse analysis of "Aïsha" in the public sphere
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-3-8288-3122-3
Verlag: Tectum

Buch, Englisch, Band 1, 98 Seiten, broschiert, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 158 g

Reihe: AGent

In 2001, a music theatre production exploring Islam?s early history from a female perspective was shut down before it reached the stage. The cancellation of A?sha and the Women of Madina by Rotterdam?s Independent Theatre (O.T.) generated a media storm as speculations about censorship mounted. To unravel this performative non-event, this dissertation consolidates cultural analysis, discourse analysis and actor-network theory in an interdisciplinary approach. The cancellation exposed the theatre as an arena of conflict where issues of multiculturalism and freedom of speech collided well before the major events of 9/11 and the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh.

Autoren/Hrsg.

van Heugten, Lonneke

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Theaterwissenschaft Theatersoziologie, Theaterpsychologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Theaterwissenschaft Theatertheorie, Ästhetik des Theaters, Theaterkritik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 A BEGINNING

1.1 Cancellation: the End of the Show

1.2 Introducing the Independent Theatre and Aïsha

1.3 Tools and Methodology

2 THE NON-EVENT AS DISCURSIVE VORTEX OF BEHAVIOUR: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 The Role of Theatre in the Social Network

2.2 The Actor-Network: Putting Effort in Society

2.3 Thick Description as an Analytical Tool

2.4 A Discursive Vortex of Behaviour?

3 ENTERING THE VORTEX: A THICK DESCRIPTION

3.1 Unravelling the Issues

3.2 „Good“ Intentions: Complicating Multicultural Theatre

3.3 Authoring Events: Claiming the Void

3.4 The Beginning – Or is It?

3.5 Defining Subject and Style

3.6 Questions of Authority

3.7 Representation Sans Frontières?

3.8 The Objections Arise

3.9 Crisis

3.10 The Decision

3.11 Mention of a Threat

3.12 From Cancellation to Censorship

3.13 Intermission: the Struggle Enters the Public Sphere

3.14 The Discussion Continues

3.15 Clarifications and More Miscommunication

3.16 Setting Things Right

3.17 Debates Instead of Theatre

3.18 Discourse as a Vortex of Behaviour

4 MULTICULTURAL THEATRE WITHIN THE MULTICULTURAL DRAMA

4.1 External Conditions for the Rise of Discourse

4.2 The Netherlands, a Multicultural Society

4.3 The „Multicultural Drama“

4.4 A Genealogy of the Multicultural Drama

4.5 Cultural Policy and Multiculturalism

4.6 The Cultural Aspirations of Rotterdam

4.7 A Society in Transit

5 FROM BUILDING BRIDGES TO DETONATING BOMBS: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

5.1 Controlling Discourse, Shaping Events

5.2 A Theatre of Restraint

5.3 Complicating Censorship

5.4 Scenarios and Roles in the Aïsha Case

5.5 The Role of Theatre in the Public Sphere

5.6 The Sensational Public Sphere

5.7 Theatre as a Sacred Space

5.8 To Conclude: Nothing is Ever Set in Stone

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Über Autor(innen)

After obtaining an MA in Arts and Culture at Maastricht University, Lonneke van Heugten completed the MA International Performance Research with distinction at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Warwick. In the theatre, she worked as producer, marketing manager and dramaturge. She is currently writing her PhD at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis.