Fates of the performative: From the linguistic turn to the new materialism

IF 0.6 4区 社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Mindy Fenske
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The cover of Fates of the Performative is a photograph of Jeff Koons’ 1980 installation piece entitled “New Hoover Quik Broom, New Hoover Celebrity IV.” In the 56 × 22 × 19 3/5 inch artwork, the back of a clear hard plastic case/frame is lined by 4 industrial-style fluorescent vertical lightbulbs. On the left, the beige-pink Quik Broom is mounted with handle up and broom down. On the right, the Celebrity is arranged with its bright mid-century modern blue canister at the top and the white flexible hose curling down to the blue-broom bottom. This might seem a curious choice for a cover to a heavily theoretical critical genealogy of the immaterial illocutionary force of the performative (Chapters 1–3) followed by biopolitical critical explorations of the performative in different scientific, social, political and cultural contexts (Chapters 4–6). Upon reading the book, however, the art is apt and provides a reading frame for Fates. Before taking up (or uptaking) the critical fancy of the cover art as an organizing conceit, here are a few observations. First, I recommend reading the book. While Nealon is not directly writing to a performance studies audience, the book’s deep investment in how language and matter productively intra-actively act within and outside structures (of meaning, institutions, science, etc.) is deeply relevant to posthuman performance, identity performance, and performance criticism (and more). Second, the book’s tapestry of insights about art, aesthetics, literature, and critical scholarship both articulate and perform the uncertain (and thus) powerful potential of the performative in the twenty-first century (C21). Third, Nealon presents an exceptionally well-crafted and persuasive argument that the performative is “second to none when it comes to its influence on recent humanities theory in North America” (x). In particular, the book situates the force of the performative within concepts and critiques of biopolitics, new materialism, and neo-liberalism. This argument is informed by Nealon’s encyclopedic theoretical knowledge (continental philosophy in general, and Foucault specifically), self-reflexivity (despite dealing with mostly continently philosophy, the book argues for de-colonizing the canon), and wit (although, perhaps by design, not all the jokes land). What follows is a tour through some of the book, guided by Koons’ art and Nealon’s ideas.
表演的命运:从语言学转向新唯物主义
《表演的命运》的封面是杰夫·昆斯1980年的装置作品《新胡佛测验扫帚,新胡佛名人IV》的照片。在这件56×22×19 3/5英寸的艺术品中,一个透明的硬塑料盒子/框架的背面衬着4个工业风格的荧光垂直灯泡。在左边,米粉色的Quik扫帚安装在上面,把手向上,扫帚向下。在右边,“名人”号的顶部是明亮的中世纪现代蓝色罐子,白色柔性软管一直卷到蓝色扫帚底部。这似乎是一个奇怪的选择,它涵盖了表演性非物质言外力量的理论批判谱系(第1-3章),然后是在不同的科学、社会、政治和文化背景下对表演性的生物政治批判探索(第4-6章)。然而,在阅读这本书时,艺术是恰当的,并为命运提供了一个阅读框架。在接受(或接受)封面艺术的批判性幻想作为一种组织自负之前,这里有一些观察。首先,我建议你读这本书。虽然尼隆并不是直接向表演研究的观众写作,但这本书对语言和物质如何在结构内外(意义、制度、科学等)进行了深入的投资,这与人后表演、身份表演和表演批评(以及更多)有着深刻的关联。其次,这本书对艺术、美学、文学和批判性学术的深刻见解阐明并表现了21世纪表演艺术的不确定(因此)强大潜力(C21)。第三,尼隆提出了一个精心策划和有说服力的论点,即表演性语言“在对北美最近的人文理论的影响方面是首屈一指的”(x)。特别是,这本书将表演的力量置于生物政治、新唯物主义和新自由主义的概念和批评中。这一论点是由尼隆百科全书式的理论知识(一般是大陆哲学,特别是福柯)、自反性(尽管这本书主要涉及大陆哲学,但它主张将经典去殖民化)和智慧(尽管可能是故意的,并不是所有的笑话都落地了)提供的。接下来是在昆斯的艺术和尼隆的思想的指导下,参观本书的一些部分。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Text and Performance Quarterly
Text and Performance Quarterly HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
0.90
自引率
60.00%
发文量
60
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