Performing Protest in the Americas

This course explores the dynamics of protest across the Americas through the lens of performance studies. Utilizing a decolonial and feminist framework, students will analyze a variety of protest performances. Using documentaries and audiovisual footage as primary sources, we will examine how embodied artistic actions challenge power structures and catalyze political mobilization. The course engages with a wide spectrum of movements and events, including the Civil Rights Movement, the protests against the dictatorships in Chile and Argentina, the Zapatista Movement, Black Lives Matter, ACT UP, and Idle No More. Through these cases, we will critically assess how performance is used as a tool for resistance, and social justice.