Performing the "ben comune": The political functions of performance in the Republic of Siena (1260--1555)
Item
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Title
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Performing the "ben comune": The political functions of performance in the Republic of Siena (1260--1555)
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:8f7c489d202a:10063
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identifier
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10125
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Creator
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Soleo-Shanks, Jenna,
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Contributor
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Pamela Sheingorn
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater | Medieval history | Performance | Siena
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Abstract
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This dissertation examines the civic function of performance in Siena, Italy, from the nascent communal era in the twelfth century through the ultimate collapse of the Sienese Republic in the middle of the sixteenth century. During this era the city-states that developed throughout northern and central Italy were dynamic and tenuous societies, many of which relied on a single ruler or familial dynasty for their survival. For the greater part of its 400-year history, however, the Sienese Republic eschewed such dependencies, instead fostering a representative government. Such a government functioned, in part, due to the support of its people, who came to see themselves, over the course of the republican era, within the frame of a unique civic identity. This identity was powerfully expressed through and dependent on festive performance.;Festive performance was an important tool of the Sienese Republic, a means through which civic identity was constructed, articulated, and promoted by various groups within the city-state. In productions ranging from games of skill to self-conscious dramas and from festive to devotional events, the dynamics between civic groups, which often had histories of violent conflict, were put on display both literally and figuratively.;Through an examination of the forms and functions of performance characteristic of the Republic, I argue that performance was a means of fostering civic unity. By probing the unique connection between politics and performance I describe how inimitably suited performance was to the needs of this society and reveal how performance traditions allowed for the expression of rivalries, tensions, and contradictions within the city that might otherwise have undermined the stability of the Republic. Finally, using the vocabulary and perspectives of performance and ritual theory I demonstrate how both the physical and ideological foundations of the Sienese Republic were indebted to performance throughout its history. Thus my dissertation is not merely a history of an extraordinary performance tradition; it is an examination of a society's political dependence on performance.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Theatre
