Theory meets practice: Intersectional anti-oppression in art and activism

Social justice–oriented art and activism have given rise to an evolving dialogue between theory and practice toward social justice. The insight that a problem has a social dimension and the impulse to address the problem are starting points for activity that is neither purely practical nor purely theoretical. The pictures and songs are profound. Likewise, the distinction between art and activism in this time of development is fluid. The research brings together several efforts from the last fifty years of global concern with racism, disability justice, economic inequality, sexism, and gender-based oppression in which the dialogue between theory and practice has been particularly active. This project explores how the concepts of disability justice, counter-narratives, intersectionality, systems theory & subjectivity-objectivity, modalities of perception, form & formation, communities of practice, anti-oppression practice, life as method, demechanization each came out of particular practical problematics, and in the process of being theorized, were extended either by their originators or others into different situations and problematics that were or are struggling to come to voice. One concept in particular, "demechanization," a term from the work of Theater of the Oppressed (TOC), was the focus of the author's exploratory workshops with practitioners at TOC conferences in Brazil in 2018 and 2019. The research also draws on the author's personal experience with the Story Circles, coming from Black Civil Rights Workers, as well as work with Brazil’s Restorative Justice Circles. The author's own long-time artistic practice, activism, and educational formation are brought to bear in some reflections on and illustrations of qualitative research via visual, musical, and theatrical media. The project, as a whole, shows that certain problematics that arise in social theory and social justice practice can be addressed by creative crossing of the theory-practice divide.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communications and Media

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Simpson, elizaBeth J

Contributors dc:contributor

• Valdivia, Angharad N
• Poole, Marshall S
• Lucero, Jorge
• Cisneros, Josue D

• Disability
• Intersectionality
• Anti-oppression
• Theatre Of The Oppressed
• Demechanization
• Demechanizing Whiteness
• Communities Of Practice
• Life As Method
• Bias Against Visuals
• Songs
• Posters
• Photography
• Poetry

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 elizaBeth J. Simpson

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125630

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125630