Anneka Esch van Kan Knihy

Between 2001 and 2008, American theater experienced a significant surge in political expression, particularly in response to the September 11 attacks. “Representation of Crisis – Crisis of Representation” examines various developments in American theater during this period, including performances that blur the lines between life and art, innovative political musicals, and new forms of documentary theater. It also addresses themes of national identity, the emergence of Arab-American theater, and narratives centered on soldiers' experiences. The analysis focuses on performances shaped by their theoretical context, particularly drawing on the philosophy of Jacques Rancière. By exploring the intersections of Rancière’s ideas with different approaches to the political in theater, the work aims to deepen the understanding of political theater. It discusses shared concerns between Rancière’s philosophy and contemporary performance trends, rather than seeking a definitive definition of political theater or establishing normative standards for political art. The goal is to illuminate the tensions and relational dynamics that enhance our comprehension of how theater and the arts engage with political themes.

This volume contrasts a number of recently suggested concepts of the political – each of which connects to certain instances of art and literature in its discourse – with questions concerning the rigidity of those connections: How strongly do such claims to politics depend on their specific examples, what is the scope of their validity to understand art with regard to politics, and how can they help us grasp the political within other pieces of art? In each case, manners of thinking concepts of the political, the mutual resistance of such concepts and their academic treatment, and the turn towards specific readings informed by those concepts converge. The essays collected in “Thinking Resistances. Current Perspectives on Politics, Community, and Art“ engage with political phenomena in their interrelations with arts as well as with recent theoretical and philosophical perspectives on the very meaning of politics, the political, and community. With contributions by Armen Avanessian, Friedrich Balke, Judith Butler, Simon Critchley, Anneka Esch-van Kan, Josef Früchtl, Andreas Hetzel, Jon McKenzie, Dieter Mersch, Chantal Mouffe, Maria Muhle, Nikolaus Müller-Schöll, Stephan Packard, Wim Peeters, Jacques Rancière, Juliane Rebentisch, Gabriel Rockhill, Frank Ruda and Philipp Schulte.