In Sickness and in Health: “Performativity” and “Autopoiesis” in US Feminist Theater
Abstract
In 1973, John Wilson described the methods of persuasion used by contemporary social movements as “more often than not, unorthodox, dramatic” 227 emphasis added . In the same year, Richard Schechner identified seven areas where performance theory and the social sciences coincided: 1 Performance of everyday life, including gatherings of every kind. 2 The structure of sports, ritual, play, and public political behaviors. 3 Analysis of various modes of communication other than the written word ; semiotics. 4 Connections between human and animal behavior patterns with an emphasis on play and ritualized behavior. 5 Aspects of psychotherapy that emphasize person-to-person interaction, acting out, and body awareness. 6 Ethnography and prehistory—both of exotic and familiar cultures from the Western perspective . 7 Constitution of unified theories of performance, which are, in fact, theories of behavior. 16 emphasis added 2
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