Aesthetics of Displacement
Movement, Archives, and Performance in Contemporary Colombia
Movement and performance as a means of resistance and identity formation in contemporary Colombia
Description
Aesthetics of Displacement centers the embodied aesthetic practices of Afro-Colombian people and their experiences, asking readers to reassess Colombian national history, legacies of colonialism and racism, politics of memory, and the inheritances of violence related to the Colombian armed conflict. Through a theoretical frame of destierro or “displacement” and an examination of the Afro-Colombian philosophy vivir sabroso or “to live harmoniously,” Aesthetics of Displacement focuses on how theatre-makers, choreographers, filmmakers, activist groups, and photojournalists create an embodied Colombian perspective informed by decolonial practices and thinking that rely on movement as a strategy for existence and that counter European hegemonic aesthetics as the major foundations of taste and value. This approach not only enhances our understanding of contemporary Colombian culture, but also highlights the importance of performance as a means of resistance and identity formation.
Melissa Blanco Borelli is Professor of Dance and Performance Studies and Director of the Dance Program at Northwestern University.
Reviews
“Aesthetics of Displacement offers profound explorations of Afro-Colombian experiences through the lenses of dance, displacement, and decolonial frameworks. Blanco Borelli presents a groundbreaking archive of performances, images, and documentaries that extend beyond the specificity of dance. It is the kind of work that deserves recognition as it brings together performance art, Afro and Indigenous cultural identities, digital humanities, and archival studies.”
- Alejandro Herrero-Olaizola, Emory University & University of Michigan
“Aesthetics of Displacement makes a significant contribution to the performance studies field by centering Black and Indigenous worldmaking and knowledge in South America. Melissa Blanco Borelli bridges the gap between Latin American scholars and scholars from the US and the global North by putting their work in conversation with one other. This rich, well-written book is grounded in fieldwork, history, and critical analysis, placing it on the cutting edge of the field.”
- Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, Skidmore College
“In this book, Blanco Borelli shifts from violentology to resilience, showing how Colombia’s Afro and Indigenous artists respond to colonial harm through performance, vivir sabroso, and more-than-human worlds. A field-shifting contribution and a vital, decolonial rethinking of memory, justice, and survival, that turns dance into a grammar of survival, resistance, and conviviality under oppression.”
- Maria del Rosario Acosta Lopez, University of California, Riverside