Democratising Moves: Power, Agency & the Body

TY - JOUR

T1 - Democratising Moves: Power, Agency & the Body

AU - Prickett, Stacey

N1 - Conference code: 13

PY - 2017/12/21

Y1 - 2017/12/21

N2 - Recently, the word ‘democracy’ has featured prominently in the press, with calls to restore it, save it from ominous threats, and expose challenges to its principles, all predicated on an assumed understanding of the concept. The roots of today’s political democracies are often located in the 18th century revolutions of the USA and France and continue to reinforce Euro-American values and ideas of nation. The transfer of power remains a defining principle, shifting control from an elite to a multitude. How do the principles that inspired democratic revolutions relate to the ballot box versions of democracy today? The article considers contemporary complexities of democracy as a concept, offering examples of how it is embodied through iconography, gestures of defiance and civil disobedience. Democratic values are explored in more formal choreography and in creative processes that establish associations to political agency. © 2017, Dans i Skolen. The attached document is an author produced version of a paper published in the Nordic Journal of Dance, uploaded with permission from the publisher. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

AB - Recently, the word ‘democracy’ has featured prominently in the press, with calls to restore it, save it from ominous threats, and expose challenges to its principles, all predicated on an assumed understanding of the concept. The roots of today’s political democracies are often located in the 18th century revolutions of the USA and France and continue to reinforce Euro-American values and ideas of nation. The transfer of power remains a defining principle, shifting control from an elite to a multitude. How do the principles that inspired democratic revolutions relate to the ballot box versions of democracy today? The article considers contemporary complexities of democracy as a concept, offering examples of how it is embodied through iconography, gestures of defiance and civil disobedience. Democratic values are explored in more formal choreography and in creative processes that establish associations to political agency. © 2017, Dans i Skolen. The attached document is an author produced version of a paper published in the Nordic Journal of Dance, uploaded with permission from the publisher. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

KW - dance

KW - democracy

KW - politics

M3 - Article

SN - 1891-6708

VL - 8

SP - 5

EP - 17

JO - Nordic Journal of Dance - practice, education and research

JF - Nordic Journal of Dance - practice, education and research

IS - 2

T2 - Dance & Democracy conference

Y2 - 14 June 2017 through 17 January 2018

ER -