- Definition:
adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world
Source: Merriam-Webster Online
adjective 1 consisting of people from many different countries and cultures: a cosmopolitan metropolis. 2 familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.
Source: Compact Oxford English Dictionary Online
- Challenge(s):
· Where does information about cosmopolitan ideals, lifestyles etc. come from? Ideas about what constitute cosmopolitanism inevitably come through the media – so we need to consider whose values exactly are we subscribing to, when we claim to be “cosmopolitan”
· Is cosmopolitanism a state of mind or based on action? i.e. can one never travel and experience other cultures, yet consider oneself “cosmopolitan”? If so, where does one get one’s perceptions/values from? (see above point)
2) Ethnicity
- Definition:
N. 1. ethnic quality or affiliation 2. a particular ethnic affiliation or group
Source: Merriam-Webster Online
(Ethnic) adjective 1 relating to a group of people having a common national or cultural tradition. 2 referring to origin by birth rather than by present nationality: ethnic Albanians. 3 relating to a non-Western cultural tradition: ethnic music.
Source: Compact Oxford English Dictionary Online
- Challenge(s):
· The word “ethnic” has connotations of the “exotic” and unknown, associated with imperialism and superficial cultural tourism (especially in the third definition from OED above). We thus have to be very careful when talking about a person or performance, for example, being “ethnic” – what kinds of values may we be ascribing to them?
· Is ethnicity important at all in today’s globalised society, given assertions that globalisation leads to homogeneity and renders the local/specific less significant?
3) Medium
- Definition:
(N.) 1. Environment
2. Means of communication
3. Physical material or form used by artist, composer, etc.
4. Person claiming to communicate with the dead
Source: Little Oxford Dictionary
We find this a very interesting word to examine in relation to performance and performativity, not least because of the many different meanings it has. Taking sense 2. above for example, the performer can be understood as a medium – for interpreting a play’s text, transmitting a certain message to the audience etc. In a very broad sense, the examining of different mediums of performance would of course be pertinent to performance studies.
As much as a performer can be said to be a medium, a medium (in sense 4. above) is also very much a performer. In many Southeast Asian rituals involving mediums, the costumes, props and music used are highly performative in that they serve to invoke the spirit that the medium is being possessed by, and indicate clearly the transition of the medium between this world and the “otherworldly”. Spirit-mediums and their associated rituals thus constitute some of the most interesting case studies for those interested in anthropological approaches to theatre and performativity, since such rituals are at the heart of the beliefs and traditions of many cultures.
A video clip of a Taoist medium ritual can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LE5xPoHBJM
- Challenge(s):
· What can mediums (in the fourth definition above) teach us about performativity?
· Are there mediums in all cultures and how different are they? What could the similarities and differences mean for intercultural studies and exploration?
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