Performing/Transforming. Transgressions and Hybridizations Across Texts, Media, Bodies

Facing the proliferation of hybrid cultural forms that are undermining hierarchies of cultures, knowledge, and disciplinary boundaries, the performative turn of the humanities offers a variety of analytical tools that are increasingly trans-, inter- and multimedial – in other words, performative. Extending from theater and the performing arts to the literary and social domains, from literal to metaphorical use, the related notions of performance, performative and performativity cover a great variety of activities that share conditions of liminality, process and change – or, for their complexity, require a multi-perspective approach. With contributions ranging from the domains of Literary, Cultural, Gender, Music and Performance Studies, Performing/Transforming offers an interdisciplinary investigation of the theories and practices of performance that unleash a radical potential for action and interaction. From the theatrically orchestrated forms of non-artistic everyday performance to the visual and aural executions of the literary text on and off the page; from opera and song lyric to experimental theater and music theater, the present series of essays addresses a wide spectrum of performing behaviors with a keen eye on how intermedial relationships and technologies of re-production have been transforming modes, codes, and genres of cultural and artistic re-presentation.