Doing Democracy: Activist Art and Cultural Politics (SUNY Series, Praxis: Theory in Action)

Demonstrates how activists and others use art and popular culture to strive for a more democratic future. Doing Democracy examines the potential of the arts and popular culture to extend and deepen the experience of democracy. Its contributors address the use of photography, cartooning, memorials, monuments, poetry, literature, music, theater, festivals, and parades to open political spaces, awaken critical consciousness, engage marginalized groups in political activism, and create new, more democratic societies. This volume demonstrates how ordinary people use the creative and visionary capacity of the arts and popular culture to shape alternative futures. It is unique in its insistence that democratic theorists and activists should acknowledge and employ affective as well as rational faculties in the ongoing struggle for democracy. “Nancy S. Love and Mark Mattern have collected a first-rate set of studies that illuminate the intersection between art and politics in the contemporary era. The text demonstrates how activist art and cultural politics can promote democratic politics and how democracy is enriched and enlivened by activist art projects. This book should interest everyone concerned with the fate of art and democracy in the contemporary era and how they can help nourish each other.” — Douglas Kellner, author of Media Spectacle and Insurrection, 2011: From the Arab Uprisings to Occupy Everywhere Doing Democracy: Activist Art and Cultural Politics 4 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 10 Part I: Introduction 12 Chapter 1: Introduction: Art, Culture, Democracy 14 The Arts and Popular Culture 15 “Doing (and Undoing) Democracy” with the Arts 19 The Arts and Prefigurative Politics 22 Contributions to This Volume 24 Notes 32 Bibliography 35 Part II: Photography and Cartoons 38 Chapter 2: Photo-Activism in the Digital Age: Visions from Rio de Janeiro 40 Photo-Activism in the Digital Age 41 Three Visions from Rio de Janiero 44 Artivism in Morro da Providência, Rio de Janeiro 44 Surveillance and Self-Surveillance in Jacarezinho, Rio de Janeiro 49 Vik Muniz and the Catadores of Jardim Gramacho, Rio de Janeiro 53 Conclusion 56 Notes 56 Bibliography 60 Chapter 3: Framing the Obama Political Cartoons: Injury or Democracy? 64 Framing Cartoons 66 Controversial Cartoons and Contending Opinions 70 Cartooning Democracy 74 Notes 78 Bibliography 81 Part III: Monuments and Memorials 84 Chapter 4: The Moral Economy: “Doing Democracy” via Public Day of the Dead Rituals 86 Introduction 86 Political Art as Alternative Media 87 Folk Rituals and Politics 89 A Brief Description of Day of the Dead in Mexico 91 A Chicano Tradition Is Born 92 Early Beginnings 93 Activist Art 94 Conclusion 98 Notes 100 Bibliography 103 Chapter 5: The National D-Day Memorial: An American Military Monument as “Doing Democracy” 108 “Doing Democracy” with Public Art 109 From Omaha Beach, Normandy to Bedford, Virginia 112 How “Local” Is the “National” D-Day Memorial? 115 Public Art as Nationalism-in-Action 118 Closing 123 Notes 125 Bibliography 127 Part IV: Literature and Poetry 130 Chapter 6: The Message in the Medium: Poetry Slam as Democratic Practice 132 Slam Poetry: Description and History 134 Participation and Critical Judgment 137 Challenging and Leveling Power 140 Equality 142 Freedom in Community 144 Closing: Slam as Prefiguration 147 Notes 148 Bibliography 151 Chapter 7: Tragedy and Democracy: The Fate of Liberal Democratic Values in a Violent World 154 Introduction 154 Liberty vs. Security: A Tragic Dilemma? 157 Acting “as if ” We Were Free 162 The Ethos of the Blues 165 The Slave Sublime 169 Imminent Threat Revisited 171 From Individual Morality to Political Decision-Making 174 Conclusion 176 Notes 178 Bibliography 183 Discography 185 Part V: Music 186 Chapter 8: “You’re an American rapper, so what do you know?”: The Political Uses of British and U.S. Popular Culture by First-Time Voters in the United Kingdom 188 Introduction 188 Background: Politics and Popular Culture 190 Popular Culture and Political Engagement 192 Representing the Wider World 194 Constituting Identities and Actors 194 Mobilizing Action 195 Researching Popular Culture and Political Engagement 196 Creating Communities, Drawing Boundaries 197 Comparing Culture and Constructing National Identities 197 Judging Culture and Constructing Communities and Representatives 200 Discussion 202 Notes 205 Bibliography 208 Chapter 9: Playing with Hate: White Power Music and the Undoing of Democracy 212 Introduction 213 Inverted Totalitarianism and Cultural Politics 214 The Story of Ian Stuart Donaldson and His Bands 217 Inverting Fascist Aesthetics: Global Hybrids and Cellular Networks 220 Inversion I: White Supremacy as Global Hybrid 221 Inversion II: Cellular Networks and White Supremacy 224 Playing with Hate, Playing with Democracy 227 Notes 231 Bibliography 235 Discography 238 Part VI: Theater 240 Chapter 10: Betrayed by Democracy: Verbatim Theater as Prefigurative Politics 242 Introduction 242 The Iraqis Who Trusted America the Most: How Journalism Can Expose the Undersides of War 244 Betrayed: From Journalism to Theater 246 The Democratic Potential of Theater in a Time of War (I): The Ability of Fiction to Sidestep Censorship 249 The Democratic Potential of Theater in a Time of War (II): Validating Multiple Voices as a Form of Prefigurative Politics 254 Concluding Reflections 258 Notes 259 Bibliography 263 Chapter 11: Political Actors: Performance as Democratic Protest in Anti-Apartheid Theater 268 Protest Theater in Apartheid South Africa: Historical Background 270 (En)Acting Protest: Theater as Democratic Practice 271 Polyphony and Transience: Performing Identity, Challenging Authority 272 Polyphony: Connecting Across Difference 278 Polyphony and Transience: Slipping through the Grasp of a Totalitarian State 282 Concluding Remarks 285 Notes 286 Bibliography 293 Part VII: Festival and Spectacle 298 Chapter 12: Art in the House: Cultural Democracy in a Neighborhood 300 Context and Character 304 Theory and Event 309 Friday 310 Saturday 310 Sunday 310 Conclusions 317 Notes 318 Bibliography 323 Discography 325 Chapter 13: Democracy despite Government: African American Parading and Democratic Theory 326 Parading: Mardi Gras, Zulu, and Black Indians 329 Parading: Second Lines 332 Democracy despite Government 336 Notes 340 Bibliography 345 Part VIII: Conclusion 348 Chapter 14: Conclusion: Activist Arts, Community Development, and Democracy 350 Elites-Driven Public Art 351 Community Arts 354 The City of Santa Ana, California 358 Music & Performing Arts (M&PA) at Trinity Cathedral, Inc. 362 Closing 365 Notes 368 Bibliography 373 Contributors 378 Index 382 Introduction: art, culture, democracy / Nancy S. Love and Mark Mattern Photo-activism in the digital age: visions from Rio de Janeiro / Frank Möller Framing the Obama political cartoons: injury or democracy? / Sushmita Chatterjee The moral economy: "doing democracy" via public Day of the Dead rituals / Regina Marchi The National D-Day Memorial: an American military monument as "doing democracy" / Timothy W. Luke The message in the medium: poetry slam as democratic practice / Mark Mattern Tragedy and democracy: the fate of liberal democratic values in a violent world / Wairimu Njoya "You're an American rapper, so what do you know?": the political uses of British and US popular culture by first-time voters in the United Kingdom / Sanna Inthorn and John Street Playing with hate: white power music and the undoing of democracy / Nancy S. Love Betrayed by democracy: verbatim theatre as prefigurative politics / Mark Chou and Roland Bleiker Political actors: performance as democratic protest in anti-apartheid theatre / Emily Beausoleil Art in the house: cultural democracy in a neighborhood / Bruce Baum Democracy despite government: African American parading and democratic theory / Peter G. Stillman and Adelaide H. Villmoare Conclusion: activist arts, community development, and democracy / Mark Mattern and Nancy S. Love. __Demonstrates how activists and others use art and popular culture to strive for a more democratic future.____Doing Democracy__“Nancy S. Love and Mark Mattern have collected a first-rate set of studies that illuminate the intersection between art and politics in the contemporary era. The text demonstrates how activist art and cultural politics can promote democratic politics and how democracy is enriched and enlivened by activist art projects. This book should interest everyone concerned with the fate of art and democracy in the contemporary era and how they can help nourish each other.” — Douglas Kellner, author of "Demonstrates how activists and others use art and popular culture to strive for a more democratic future"--Résumé de l'éditeur