Resisting bodies: Promise and change in the feminist representation of girls in the performative arena.

摘要

This study uses the central figure of the resistant girl in ten plays written by Canadian, American and British women playwrights since 1978. Dividing variations upon the performative construct of “the girl who pushes back” into four tropes, this research considers the wild child, the “bad girl,” the girl as monster and the resistant girl as ghost in plays and performance art which interrogate gender oppression and traditional forms of mimesis. Applying theories taken from the feminist critique of performance (most notably, the writings of Case, Dolan, Austin and de Lauretis), as well as key writings from the field of body theory (Foster, Bordo, Haraway, Tomko and Russo), resistance (Foucault and de Certeau) and the newly-emerging field of girl culture and the feminist psychology (Chodorow, Fine, Brown and Gilligan) this work attempts to link theory with selected examples of feminist performance since the late 1970s. Focusing on the figure of the resistant girl as a “troubling” and resonant device, the work investigates operations which interrupt traditional theatrical structures, place the girl center stage, explore the gap between performer and construct, disorient the spectator and undermine traditional operations of sight within the theatrical event. The result is an analysis of contemporary work which takes a figure from early feminist practice to extend the feminist critique of performance, introducing issues of sexuality, race and commodification into the live arena and engaging with audiences on the possibilities of change (as well as the dangers of co-option) in matters of current political, social and economic moment. The conclusion identifies the self-nominating performance practices of resistant girls themselves (as producers of meaning surrounding their own condition) as an area worthy of further study.