When you think about historical reenactment, you probably think about reenacting Civil War battles or performing a character at a Renaissance fair. But Catherine Grant is interested in artists who use reenactment to ask questions about the history of feminist and queer activism, and the role of artists in political life. By reenacting and remixing scenes from history, these artists revive stories from the past that might illuminate the present in surprising ways. Beyond the realm of art, Catherine wants us to recognize the power of performing repeated actions in our everyday lives.
Tag: feminism
The world doesn’t revolve around you! Many children, and plenty of adults too, have heard this from parents, friends or partners. It’s easy and kinda satisfying to view others around you as minor characters in the drama of your life. But Paula Moya wants us to recognize that this arrogant self-centredness can lead people to believe that everyone else is just there to serve them. Paula argues that Toni Morrison’s novel A Mercy not only depicts harmful arrogance among its characters, but also teaches readers to be less arrogant in their own lives.
The basic story of Adam and Eve is that Eve was tempted by a serpent, ate the forbidden fruit and thus caused humans to be kicked out of Paradise. But does she really deserve the blame? Stephen Greenblatt says this question isn’t a new one – Eve has had her defenders from the very start. From early Jewish commentaries to John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, Stephen shows how Eve’s story has always been open to re-interpretation. Her story has inspired not only blame, but also understanding – and even praise.
Some academics think that reading a book just to identify with a character is self-centred and shallow. When you’re only reading for characters you can identify with, you’re projecting yourself onto the book. But Merve Emre thinks that’s unfair. Far from being shallow, who readers do and don’t identify with is a complex and nuanced question. Using examples from Freud to Fifty Shades of Grey, Merve shows how identifying with characters can reshape our sense of self and help us better understand the society we live in.
During the Renaissance, a writer could be imprisoned just for claiming that a husband beating his wife should show mercy. It wasn’t that the authorities wanted merciless wife-beatings. The issue was that they understood criticism of a tyrannical husband as criticism of a tyrannical king. English professor Julie Crawford explains how power relations within the home have underpinned political thinking for many centuries.