The Anthropology of Cultural Performance
This page intentionally left blank
The Anthropology of Cultural Performance J. Lowell Lewis
the anthropology of cultural performance Copyright J. Lowell Lewis, 2013. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-34398-7 All rights reserved. First published in 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-46592-7 DOI 10.1057/9781137342386 ISBN 978-1-137-34238-6 (ebook) Earlier versions of some sections of the book were previously published as, Toward a Unified Theory of Cultural Performance: A Reconstructive Introduction to Victor Turner. In G. St. John, ed., 273 91. Victor Turner and Contemporary Cultural Performance. New York: Berghahn (2008); and Afterword: Theoretical Reflections. In G. McAuley, ed., 41 58. Unstable Ground: Performance and the Politics of Place. Brussels: P.I.E. Peter Lang (2006). Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. First Edition: August 2013 Design by Scribe Inc. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all students of performance, past and future.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents List of Tables ix Acknowledgments xi 1 Special Events and Everyday Life 1 2 Play as Performance: Exploring P/p Relations 21 3 Rituals and Ritual- Like Genres 43 4 Performative Processes: Types of P/p Relations 65 5 Embodiment, Emplacement, and Cultural Process 93 6 Problems in Performance and Cultural Theory 123 Notes 151 References 165 Index 183
This page intentionally left blank
Tables Table 2.1 Table 3.1 Table 4.1 Special events (Performance) versus everyday life (performance): a mediated opposition 32 Criteria for distinguishing types of events on a continuum 58 Fundamental relations between special events (Performance) and everyday life (performance) 76
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments This book was more than a decade in the making, so there are many people I need to thank and some I may not remember to acknowledge. Many times the project seemed to be an impossible task, since the subject is so broad and the potential sources are nearly infinite. I have often thought that I fulfill the stereotype of the generalist who knows nothing about everything. Hopefully, this is not the view that most readers will come away with and, in my better moments, I admit that at least some sections of the book, perhaps many, may prove useful to those who continue the work on performance theory. The manuscript was begun, and mostly completed, during my tenure at the University of Sydney, in the Departments of Anthropology and Performance Studies. Accordingly, I would like to thank colleagues and students in both departments. In Anthropology, special thanks are due to Michael Jackson, Jadran Mimica, Ghassan Hage, Souchou Yao, Jeremy Beckett, and Michael Allen. Thanks also go to my colleagues and friends Alan Rumsey and Francesca Merlan in Anthropology at The Australian National University in Canberra. A special shout- out goes to my former student Asha Persson as well as to many others, especially honours students, who have kept me (relatively) honest over the years. In Performance Studies, I owe debts of gratitude especially to Ian Maxwell, whose collaboration and insight inspired me in many ways, and to Paul Dwyer, whose thoughtful interrogations and warm collegiality helped create a cooperative and supportive departmental atmosphere all too rare in academia. Thanks are also due to Gay McAuley, Tim Fitzpatrick, Amanda Card, Russell Emerson, and Laura Ginters as well as to my many graduate and undergraduate students. Of those, I must single out Paul Dowsey- Magog, who collaborated on an early project and coauthored an article with me, as well as former students Peter Snow and Stuart Grant, now colleagues, whose work is cited in the text. The insights on Balkan dance provided by Teresa Crvencovic, which also appear in the text, were very valuable, as was the sincere friendship she and her husband provided. The postgraduate seminars in both Anthropology and Performance Studies were valuable arenas for trying out ideas and gaining new inspiration.
xii Acknowledgments Many key ideas were triggered in collaboration with Steven Feld, who cotaught a course with me at Sydney and whose work is a constant touchstone for me and for many. Special thanks are also due to my friend and colleague Sally Ness, whose support and suggestions bolstered me whenever I had cause to doubt and whose work has also pointed the way. I want to thank Val Daniel, who introduced me to Peirce, and Jean- Paul Dumont, my thesis supervisor and a warm, supportive presence ever since. I am grateful for a long- term friendship and collaboration with Greg Downey at Macquarie University in Sydney and to his colleague John Sutton. Many blessings should go to one of my oldest friends and colleagues, Jonathan Tuck, with whom I have discussed many aspects of the work and who always took the time to read outside his own field to keep up with me. I have appreciated the updates on Salvador and the carnival there from John Collins at Queens College, and I thank him for the use of the cover photo. Thanks are also due to Phillip Zarilli and to the several anonymous reviewers who provided comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. At Palgrave Macmillan I want to acknowledge the efficiency and support of Robyn Curtis and her assistant Erica Buchman. Also on the editorial team were Richard Bellis and Susan Eberhart, as well as Sarah Block at Scribe Inc. Most important, of course, is my family. My mother, Felice, serves as a role model, as she continues to write and publish into her nineties. My son, Galen, keeps me smiling and gives me hope for the future. Finally, my wife, Suzanne, has supported me in countless ways, including sage advice, sharp insight, a loving heart, and many reminders to keep active through the process. Any mistakes and shortcomings are, of course, due only to me. J. Lowell Lewis Bellingham, Washington