Rhythms of Subversion and Conformity” – Repeating Islands

BAK Utrecht and Dr. Wigbertson Julian Isenia (University of Amsterdam) presents the symposium “Caribbean Performance: Rhythms of Subversion and Conformity,” to take place on December 1, 2024, at BAK Utrecht (Pauwstraat 13A, 3512 TG Utrecht, Netherlands). The keynote speaker for this symposium is Lawrence La Fountain–Stokes (professor of American Culture, Romance Languages and Literatures, and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor).

The deadline for abstract submissions is November 1, 2024. The registration deadline is November 25, 2024. The deadline to register to attend the symposium as an audience is 20 November 20, 2024. [For PhD students affiliated with Dutch partner universities, who want to earn 1 ECTS credit, see information below.]

Description/Guidelines: This symposium invites an exploration of Caribbean performance, centering on how cultural practices—ranging from film, music, dance, and performance—intersect with and challenge constructions of gender, sexuality, race, and identity. From carnival traditions to representations of drag, activism, bar culture, and religious practices—including syncretic traditions like Santería, Montamentu and Vodou—Caribbean performance emerges as a celebration of heritage and a site of contestation. Through these diverse practices, the Caribbean and its diaspora showcase how performance becomes a powerful medium of subversion and conformity.

Drawing on recent works such as Lyndon K. Gill’s study of queer activism in Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival and calypso traditions; Kristie Soares’s exploration of pleasure-based politics in Puerto Rican and Cuban pop culture; and Matthew Chin’s analysis of queer performance in Jamaica, we explore how performance complicates and transforms existing notions of identity and the “nation.” Nicosia M. Shakes’s research on Black feminist theater in Jamaica and Carlos Ulises Decena’s study of queer spiritual performances in Santería and Lucumí further reveal how music, theater, and religious practices intersect with activism, pushing the boundaries of Caribbean society. These works illustrate how performance serves as a critical tool for reimagining gender, queerness, and identity while confronting colonial legacies and critiquing whiteness in the process.

The symposium prompts us to reflect on the questions these works raise: In what ways do history and location play roles in shaping these cultural performances? How are dominant theories in the humanities and social sciences both equipped and unequipped to study Caribbean performance? Finally, given our geographical context, how can we initiate a meaningful dialogue between the Dutch Caribbean and the broader Caribbean region, considering that the Dutch Caribbean has often been missing or underrepresented in the literature?

This event seeks to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue among artists, scholars, and the public, highlighting the diversity of Caribbean cultural practices across the entire Caribbean region and its diaspora. We will explore how performances confront colonial legacies, navigate issues of masculinity and whiteness, and contribute to ongoing conversations around queer and trans identities in the region. Through this collective examination, the symposium aims to deepen our understanding of how performance transforms social narratives and empowers marginalized Caribbean communities.

Keynote Speaker: We are honored to have Professor Lawrence La Fountain–Stokes as our keynote speaker. Lawrence La Fountain–Stokes is a professor of American Culture, Romance Languages and Literatures, and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is the author of Queer Ricans: Cultures and Sexualities in the Diaspora (2009), Escenas transcaribeñas: Ensayos sobre teatro, performance y cultura (2018), and Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance (2021). His books of fiction include Uñas pintadas de azul / Blue Fingernails (2009) and Abolición del pato (2013).

Call for Submissions: We welcome submissions from MA, RMA (Research Master’s), and PhD students; scholars; artists; and practitioners who engage with these themes through academic papers, performances, workshops, or multimodal presentations. Presentations should be maximum 20 minutes long.

We invite submissions on themes including, but not limited to:

• Exploring carnival as a site of cultural resistance and identity formation.
• Expressions of queer and trans identities in Caribbean musical and dance traditions.
• The impact of drag on challenging and redefining gender norms within Caribbean societies.
• Bar spaces as hubs for community cohesion and the subversion of traditional norms.
• Examining masculinity, whiteness, and performance in the Caribbean context.
• The use of vernacular language in performance art to reclaim and reshape stigmatized identities.
• Gendered dimensions of syncretic religious practices in Caribbean performances.
• Representation of environmental issues and justice movements through performance art.
• The influence of colonial history on contemporary performance practices and identity politics.
• How performance fosters community-building and self-realization among marginalized groups.
• The role of performative acts in political activism and social change movements.

Submission Guidelines: Please submit your proposal as a Word document, including a title and an abstract of up to 300 words (excluding the title). Indicate any technical requirements for your presentation (e.g., audiovisual equipment, internet access). Submissions should be sent via email to w.g.s.j.isenia@uva.nl. The submission deadline is 1 November 2024.

Registration for Attendance:  You are welcome to attend the symposium even if you are not presenting. The deadline to register to attend the symposium as an audience is 20 November 2024. To register, please email your name and affiliation (if applicable) to: w.g.s.j.isenia@uva.nl.

ECTS Credits: RMA and PhD students affiliated with Dutch partner universities can obtain 1 ECTS credit without presenting a paper. To earn the credit, students should study the two assigned readings (see below), prepare two discussion questions for one or more of the speakers, attend the event and write a 1500 essay after the event (deadline 15 December). The questions will be addressed during the panel discussion.

Please send your discussion questions to w.g.s.j.isenia@uva.nl, indicating to whom the questions are addressed. The deadline to register for ECTS credits is 20 November 2024.

Assigned Readings (for ECTS Credits)