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Power and Performance
by Vicki Ann Cremona
The concept of ‘identity’ is linked both to the personal and the collective. It is not simply a matter of the individual, what marks or defines him/her, and what they identify themself as being. It is linked to the way a group of individuals recognise themselves and interact as part of an organised social structure having a common past and extending into a shared future. Identity implies a sense of belonging that is displayed through signs and signals such as language, dress, and style of living, but also ritual, play and their performed manifestations. It also extends to common values and judgements that constitute a basis for power. Michel Foucault links the concept of identity to that of ‘power relations’ (1982, 788); he argues that power forces are never static, because power is ‘exercised from innumerable points’ and ‘relationships of force’ constitute ‘the basis for wide-ranging effects of cleavage that run through the social body as a whole’ (1990, 94). Power relations are also manifested in the types of activity that are organised within a society – while groups detaining power penetrate the organisation of all activities, those lacking power appropriate it through specific actions – including those of a performative nature - which they use to affirm recognition of their own identity and develop power positions, even if transient, vis-à-vis the other power group. Colonial power created division and resistance because it enforced normative behavioural and administrative rules that were completely distinct from the social life patterns and organisation of the societies it governed. Affirmation of identity that was distinguishable from that of the ruling forces permeated colonised societies, creating national consciousness and validating fundamental factors of social identification, such as language, beliefs, and political ideals.
In a power context, public celebrations and theatrical events such as Carnival, may be viewed as expressions of social and political identity. On the surface, these ritual or leisure activities are generally distinguished from the everyday through ostentatious appearance and behaviour. They are recurrent moments of popular performance, where the boundaries of social distinction and hierarchy are, often, only apparently blurred. However, the ‘playful experience’ (Turner 1992, 124) assumes more serious proportions than would be presumed at first glance. At a deeper level, especially in a highly controlled political environment, it may encompass a more antagonistic dimension, where resistance and protest are dissimulated behind fun and laughter. The contentious nature of identity allows for multiple performative possibilities that may not necessarily be predictable, but may veer from a defined course according to circumstances. In certain cases, performance patterns are either changed by those at the top of the power hierarchy in order to effect better control and efface individual - and possibly destabilising - distinguishing features, or are subverted to emphasize or vindicate a shared political understanding that is expressed through playful methods. Performing identity, therefore, becomes a means of self- and intra-recognition as belonging to the same or different identity groups.
Though not necessarily visibly politicised, performing identity is a fluid process inscribed within a political context; it is also determined, both in form and content, by the socio-political circumstances that encompass the performance itself. Consequently, the power dynamics that lie behind the expression of identity within a given performance will resonate differently with different power groups. Giving shape to a particular performance may be a means to assert identity, reinforce mutual recognition, but also create contestation and resistance in relation to dominant power structures. The degree of forcefulness by which identity is affirmed can reach high levels of verbal vehemence, but does not usually attain conspicuous heights of physical violence. Performance can, however, be violently suppressed, especially when the assertion of a collective identity is seen as a threat to the political power structures in place. Censorship, but also physical intervention, are effective means of quashing performance. This is particularly the case when performance does not simply limit itself to the realistic or fantastical description of reality, but is exploited to advocate socio-political change. The effort to suppress performance, however, does not necessarily silence groups; it may, on the contrary, lead to a series of tactical performative strategies to defend a group’s identity, and pronounce its political message in a way that may resonate far more powerfully beyond the group itself.
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Bibliography
Foucault, Michel. 1990 [1976]. The History of Sexuality. An Introduction. Translated by Robert Hurley. Vol. I. London: Penguin Books.
Turner, Victor. 1992. The Anthropology of Performance. New York: PAJ Publications.
Vicki Ann Cremona is Associate Professor of Theatre Studies and Chair of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Malta. She is also a core convenor of the Theatrical Event working group within the International Federation of Theatre Research. Her book, Carnival and Power. Play and Politics in a Crown Colony is part of the series ‘Transnational Theatre Histories’ by Palgrave Macmillan and is available now.