| dc.description.abstract | This thesis explores the figure of the expert in a range of contemporary
performance practices. Much has been written in recent years about the rise of
education, pedagogy and research as both curatorial strategies and modes for
making art (see below for cited texts). The significance of theatre and
performance within these practices has also been asserted (see, for instance,
Shannon Jackson’s Social Works). I argue, however, that the specific use of the
figure of the expert within the conjunction of pedagogy, research and
performance has not been fully addressed. I further argue that looking at the
expert in performance practices provides valuable insight into the broader
contemporary dynamic of knowledge and power, as well as telling us much about
the current state of performance itself.
This is clearly a broad topic, with many possibilities for analysis. In this
introduction, therefore, I will outline the rationale behind my choices of practices
and critical resources, and I will discuss the rationale behind the geographical
and temporal limits that I have chosen. I will also define my key terms, while
noting that all of them are both contested and subject to change. I will discuss my
methodology, including the various ways I have accessed the performance
events and documentation that are included in this thesis, and my approach to
the interdisciplinarity that necessarily underpins a project with such potentially
broad scope as this one. Finally, I will briefly outline the six chapters which form
the body of this study, again indicating reasons for the choices I have made, as
well as drawing a few initial connections between practices and ideas. | en_US |
