Remapping memories and public space: The theater of action in Taiwan's opposition movement and social movements (1986-1997) (China)

In this dissertation, I will investigate how social activists and theater artists employ theatrical techniques and ritualistic elements to develop performative tactics in Taiwan's political opposition movement and social movements, from 1986 to 1997. Along with the KMT (Kuoming Tang) regimes political liberalization in 1986 and the lifting of martial law in 1987, social activists increasingly utilize theater of action to remap memories and public space to reach their goals. These goals include: to redefine nationalism, citizenship, and state-civil society power relations; to represent national identities or group identities; to perform alternative norms, values, and models of living.; The term of "theater of action" was first raised in Taiwan in 1988, at the first coalition between the little theater movement and anti-nuclear movement, Expel the Evil from Lanyu Island. Since then, activists have constantly utilized the techniques of environmental theater to produce real effects through symbolic interactions. To investigate Taiwan's theater of action, I would like to employ Richard Schechner's theory to regard the symbolic public actions incorporating art performance, social critiques, ritualistic performance, entertainment, and mass media as a direct theater that "has its own dramaturgy, mise-en-scene, role enactment, audience participation, and reception." (Schechner 1992: 90); Furthermore, I would link theater of action to "performativity" (Judith Butler 1993: 1-26): it is at the same time the effect as well as the process of the reiterative power of discourse, which makes possible both identification and disidentification with the regulatory norms and imperative.; Based on my fieldwork, I will discuss how social actors employ performative tactics from these aspects: (1) represent historical traumas and invoke the repressed social memories to appeal for collective action; (2) seek legal umbrellas and mobilize consensus through indigenous consciousness; (3) carry on "love and non-violent" confrontation; (4) disseminate their causes through mass media; (5) educate the general population; (6) push legislation; (7) press the government for law enforcement; (8) help their members to relieve traumas.