From Foucault to Shange: A Multidisciplinary Study Exploring the Nature of Empowerment Through an Analysis of Theatres of Resistance

Abstract

Empowerment is a frequently used but ambiguous term. This capstone project investigates empowerment in multiple contexts through a series of multidisciplinary inquiries. Critical texts are used to build a framework to analyze power, empowerment and scripted plays from theatre of resistance traditions. The goal of this study is to explore the nature of empowerment in order to build a theoretical framework that can be used to analyze the ways in which theatrical works critique and confront social institutions and forces of institutionalized oppression, as opposed to reflecting them. This research is relevant for arts administrators because the concept of empowerment is often used in addressing issues of accessibility, participation, and representation. But empowerment remains a contested subject within the arts mainly because it is difficult to define and hard to measure in terms of outcomes.