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Pragmatist Philosophy and Dance

Interdisciplinary Dance Research in the American South

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Eric Mullis

    1. Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, USA

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  • Fully considers pragmatist philosophy in the context of dance studies for the first time
  • Advances a process-based approach to dance philosophy
  • Contributes to discussions on the relationship between theory and practice

Part of the book series: Performance Philosophy (PPH)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
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  2. Sources: Beyond the Pale

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 1-32

  3. Pragmatist Methods: Experimental Inquiry, Somaesthetics, and Performance Praxis

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 33-58

  4. Religious History: Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 59-96

  5. Dance History: The Rolling Deep

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 97-118

  6. Ethnographic Research: Signs Follow Them That Believe

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 119-148

  7. Movement Research: The Most Originally Mine

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 149-175

  8. Religious Experience: William James, Ecstasy, and Fundamentalism

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 177-205

  9. Conclusions: On Pragmatist Performance Philosophy

    • Eric Mullis
    Pages 207-240

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 241-247
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Keywords

About this book

This book investigates how Pragmatist philosophy as a philosophical method contributes to the understanding and practice of interdisciplinary dance research. It uses the author's own practice-based research project, Later Rain, to illustrate this. Later Rain is a post-dramatic dance theater work that engages primarily with issues in the philosophy of religion and socio-political philosophy. It focuses on ecstatic states that arise in Appalachian charismatic Pentecostal church services, states characterized by dancing, paroxysms, shouting, and speaking in tongues (glossolalia). Research for this work is interdisciplinary as it draws on studio practice, ethnographic field work, cultural history, Pentecostal history and theology, folk aesthetics, anthropological understandings of ecstatic religious rituals, and dance history regarding acclaimed works that have sought to present aspects of religious ecstasy on stage; Doris Humphrey's The Shakers (1931), Mark Godden’s Angels in the Architecture (2012), Martha Clarke’s Angel Reapers (2015) and Ralph Lemon’s Geography trilogy (2005). The project thereby demonstrates a process model of dance philosophy, showing how philosophy and dance artistry intertwine in a specific creative process.
  




                 
                

Reviews

“Pragmatist Philosophy and Dance undoubted value is that if offers an example of how to expand the toolbox for an interdisciplinary research work on dance that fully capitalizes philosophical thought. … Mullis contributes to affirming that performance goes beyond presenting philosophical content and develops an effective theory-in-process methodological approach to sustain performance research and generate practical and theoretical knowledge extremely useful for the artistic process.” (Susanne Franco, European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, Vol. 13 (1), 2021)

“An entirely original and carefully crafted exploration of ecstatic embodiment in Appalachian Pentecostalism. Richly nuanced, this remarkable study places Pragmatist philosophy in direct relationship to experimental performance with stunning results. Mullis has created an essential offering for anyone interested in dance, ethnography, philosophy, theology, or the promise of pluralism as a method for engaging interdisciplinary inquiry.” (Thomas F. DeFrantz, Professor of Dance, Theater Studies, Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Computational Media, Arts & Cultures at Duke University and author of Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture (Oxford University Press, 2006) and, with Philipa Rothfield, editor of Choreography and Corporeality: Relay in Motion (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016))

“This is a fantastically original study of ecstatic Pentecostal spiritualism wrapping Pragmatist philosophy, dance and choreographic theory, dramaturgical considerationsand autobiography compellingly into a set of narratives that make a strong case for attending to the borderless friction between trance, possession and folk culture in American Appalachia. A timely book that makes important new inroads in interdisciplinary performance research.” (Kélina Gotman, Reader in Theatre and Performance Studies at King’s College London and Hölderlin Guest Professor in Comparative Dramaturgy at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and author of Choreomania: Dance and Disorder (Oxford University Press, 2018))

“In Pragmatist Philosophy and Dance: Dance Research in the American South, Eric Mullis intertwines practical, dramaturgical, and ethnographic investigations to develop an in-depth theoretical account of the evolution of knowledge in the artistic process. This book advances an interdisciplinary approach to an individual artistic journey into ecstatic embodiment and thereby develops a thorough analysis of the relationship between aesthetics andepistemology. This impressive work contributes to the study of knowledge reenactment and to the interdisciplinary endeavor of Performance Philosophy.” (Einav Katan-Schmid, Core Convener for the international network Performance Philosophy and author of Embodied Philosophy in Dance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016))

  

Authors and Affiliations

  • Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, USA

    Eric Mullis

About the author

Eric Mullis is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Queens University of Charlotte, USA. He is also a dance artist and scholar whose work is grounded in interdisciplinary research and creative processes. He has written on topics in Chinese Philosophy, American Pragmatism, Philosophy of Embodiment, Somaesthetics, Dance and Philosophy of Technology, and Dance and Political Engagement. He currently lives and works in North Carolina and is continually investigating the role of the dance artist in the Southeastern United States. 





              

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