邁向亞際劇場研究：現代性、歷史情境與觀看方式的變遷

根據學者威廉˙艾金盾（William Egginton）在《世界如何變成一座劇場》（How the World Becomes a Stage）一書當中所說，劇場（Theatre，這邊意指源自古希臘的theatron，然後在文藝復興時期的西歐再度出現）是16世紀西歐社會的發明產物，作為一種新的公眾社會機構，劇場（theatre）不只是當時隨著早期資本主義而浮現歷史地表的初期娛樂產業，更隨著透視法（perspective）的發明，以及中古世紀神學世界觀的鬆動，隱含了一種基進「觀看方式」（ways of seeing）的改變，還有新的主體模式以及人與世界關係的劇烈變動。

換言之，世俗化劇場在西歐歷史進程的浮現是現代性計畫必然的一環。隨著西歐資本主義現代性在全球的擴張，劇場的審美方式、營運模式以及隱含的道德與世界觀，也隨著西歐現代性的擴張，逐漸擴展到世界的各個角落。「亞洲」作為一個地緣政治的概念，或是一組文化意涵的集合名詞，也是西方現代性擴張下的一個認識論發明（epistemological invention）。在歐洲隨著大航海時期崛起後，西方的冒險家、傳教士以及其啟蒙知識份子，在重新打造現代西方認同的大業下，發明了亞洲作為一種「他者」（the other），借此區隔出西方/東方、現代/前現代、文明/落後、陽剛/陰柔…等一組又一組的二元對立認識框架，來鞏固西方帝國殖民主義的現代全球擴張大業。

在這樣的歷史情境下，位於亞洲的諸文明慢慢被捲入了這個西方現代性的全球擴張，而以西方Theatre為圭臬的「現代戲劇」也在這樣的歷史情境下進入了亞洲諸國。「現代戲劇」的進入，讓亞洲本土自身的原生表演成為了「傳統藝術」，在中華文明地區，「戲曲」作為一種傳統藝術的類型便在西方現代戲劇的進入後，成為了自己文化土地上的「他者」；日本也在新派的浪潮下，在明治維新時期，在歌舞伎與能劇之中發明了自身的「傳統」。同樣的情形，在亞洲諸國進入現代性的過程皆發生。傳統與現代戲劇二元對立的發明，必然涉及了現代民族國家形成、政治革命以及現代國民主體、現代市場化經濟出現…等等現代政治、經濟與社會的結構治理性變革。二戰後民族主義思潮在亞洲崛起，出現了許多後殖民獨立新興民族國家，同時冷戰開啟，也讓亞洲諸國進入社會主義與歐美資本主義的對壘情形，直到1980年代的全球化（或曰後冷戰），新的國際資本主義邏輯，鬆動了地緣政治的緊張。與此同時，亞際文化研究自1990年代浮現，便是在這個看似欲加無國界的時代，希望透過亞洲間際的對話與交流，重新整理亞洲遭逢西方現代性經驗之後，尚待梳理的諸種歷史遺留問題，並進一步找出超克西方現代性的方法，以及自身現代文化主體性的可能。

秉持著這樣的精神，這個論壇希望透過亞洲間際戲劇現代性進程研究的對話與互涉討論，朝向一種亞際劇場研究的可能。亦即，在觀照彼此的戲劇傳統與現代戲劇的辯證關係之後，我們能從中如何找到新的觀點，論述自身現代戲劇發展史的可能？這些新的觀點與論述，又如何與亞際間地緣政治的變遷，或是文化交流網絡的重組有所關聯？傳統與現代的分野，其審美之張力與具體歷史語境裡的認識論變遷（epistemic shift）以及政經治理模式有何關係？在傳統與現代之間，亞洲的現當代戲劇又如何面對後現代與後殖民之間的兩難命題？

我們歡迎以下（但不限於此）的研究子題：

1. 亞洲國家特定歷史情境下的傳統戲劇與現代戲劇的關係
2. 亞洲國家現代戲劇發展進程的政治與美學
3. 從亞際間的地緣政治，重新看待現代戲劇的發展
4. 亞際間戲劇美學的交流與影響
5. 全球現代性傳播與在地戲劇美學變遷的關係
6. 後殖民情境下的歷史記憶與戲劇
7. 當代數位轉向對與亞洲當代戲劇的改變
8. 在地與全球文化治理對於亞洲現當代戲劇形成的影響
9. 傳統與現代戲劇審美方式的辯證關係
10. 傳統與現代分野背後隱含的觀看方式變遷

會議地點: 國立中山大學

會議時間: 2024.09.07(六)-2024.09.08(日)

投稿需提供：　　

1）論文/專題標題

2）摘要（中文600字內；英文350字內）及五個關鍵詞

3）主講人資訊（100字內）

4）聯繫方式

歡迎投稿至2024TAconference@gmail.com，投稿截止日期為2024.3.10(日)。

大會將組審稿委員會，審查來稿，將於四月底前回覆審查結果。

Towards Inter-Asia Theatre Studies: Modernity, Historical Conditions and Changing Ways of Seeing

According to William Egginton’s How the World Becomes a Stage, “Theatre” as an institution is a geo-historically specific phenomenon. It first appeared in the ancient Greek city states as theatron and then re-appeared during the 16^th century Renaissance in Western Europe. When it resurfaced during the Renaissance, it reappeared as a newly-invented social institution, entailing drastic historical ruptures—that is, primordial business models of early capitalism, the radical changes of ways of seeing brought by the invention of perspective, the challenges towards medieval theological world views and the emergence of modern subjectivities and its changing relationships with the human world.    

In other words, the emergence of secularized theatre in the historical processes of Western Europe is part and parcel of the project of modernity. As capitalist modernity in Western Europe started to spread to the rest of the world, modern secularized theatre and its underlying moral and world views also spread to different corners of the world. “Asia” as a geopolitical concept, was also invented by the expansion of Western modernity. During the age of European exploration and imperialist ambitions, Europe rose and became the dominant global power, a new modern Western identity was constructed through the Orientalist invention of Asia as the other. Along with a series of dichotomized concepts, such as modern/pre-modern, civilized/backwardness, masculine/feminine…etc., a masculine expansionist Western imperialist identity was constructed and secured. 

Under this kind of historical condition, various civilizations in Asia were coerced into this global expansion of Western modernity. Modern Theatre, a quintessential Western European institution, was also introduced into various Asian countries. With the introduction of Modern Theatre, pre-existing indigenous theatrical performances in Asia became “traditional performing arts.” In the Chinese-speaking areas, xiqu was invented as a traditional form as opposed to xiandaixiqu, a spoken form modelled upon the West; in Japan with the introduction of shinpai and shingeki, No and Kabuki became traditional performing arts. This invention of dichotomized traditional and modern theatrical forms happened in all Asian countries. This invention process also involves political revolutions, the rise of modern nation states, the formation of modern nationalistic subjects, and the advent of modern capitalist market system and other social, economic and political structural changes. After WWII, postcolonial nationalism rose in Asia and heralded in numerous newly independent states. Meanwhile, with the advent of the Cold War, the confrontation and tension between the socialist bloc and capitalist camp also created rifts and enmity in Asia until the 1980s when the new global capitalist logics loosened up geopolitical tensions in Asia and intensified the process of globalization. It is under this new historical condition that we witnessed the rise of Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, an intellectual attempt to open up avenues for scholars to revisit the historical problem of Asia’s encounter with Western modernity and further seek possibilities to overcome Western modernity and enable the agency of localized cultural subjectivities.              

With this intellectual spirit, this conference attempts to bring in Inter-Asia theatrical dialogues concerning the split of traditional and modern theatrical forms in Asia. Through these cross-examinations, this conference hopes to further the possibilities of Inter-Asia theatre studies. That is, after reviewing each other’s dialectical relationships between traditional and modern theatres, will we find new perspectives to re-narrativize the historiography of one’s own modern theatre formation? How are these new perspectives and discourses related to the changing geopolitical relationships and patterns of cultural exchanges in Asia? How might the aesthetic divide between the traditional and the modern entail epistemic shift and political tensions within a specific historical condition? Between tradition and modernity, how do Asian modern and contemporary theatres face the conundrum between postcolonialism and postmodernism? Related topics are listed (but are not limited to) as below:    

1. Relationships between traditional and modern theatres in Asia under specific historical conditions
2. The aesthetics and politics in Asian theatres’ modernization processes
3. Revisiting modernization processes of Asian theatres from the perspectives of Inter-Asia geopolitics
4. Inter-Asia theatrical exchanges and influences
5. The spread of modernity and its impacts on the changing aesthetics of theatre
6. Theatre and historical memory in postcolonial conditions
7. Contemporary digital turn and its impact on Asian theatres
8. Glocal cultural managements and governance and their impacts in the formation of Asian theatres
9. Dialectical relationships between traditional and contemporary theatre aesthetics
10. The underlying changing ways of seeing behind the divide between the traditional and the modern in theatrical cultures

Conference Location: National Sun Yat-Sen University

Conference Date: 2024.09.07(Sat)-2024.09.08(Sun)

In your submission, please include: 

1) paper/panel title

2) abstract (Mandarin within 600 words; English within 350 words) and 5 keywords

3) information of presenters (within 100 words)

4) contact information   

Please submit with attachments to the following emails: 

2024TAconference@gmail.com before March 10th 2024.

We will email you the review results no later than the end of April, 2024