THEATER AND PERFORMANCE STUDIES WORKSHOP

Co-coordinators: Jamie Lee & Jennifer Williams

Faculty Advisors: Professors Jessica Baker & Julia Rhoads

PRESENTS

Space and Processional Movement in Trinidad’s Nineteenth-Century Riots

Patrick Murphy, PhD Student, Ethnomusicology, UChicago

Tuesday, February 19th, 5-6:30 pm (Logan Arts Center, 028)

 

My main concern is processional movement during Canboulay and Hosay. The article features an opening section outlining Trinidad’s historical context (1840s – 1880s), to then discuss each procession – Canboulay and Hosay – in two sections: (1) the riots; and (2) their aftermaths. I then analyse space and culture, arguing that processional movement mapped colonial space in a process which measured and played out the power dynamics tacitly established in Trinidad. I look into newspapers and documents of the times which, although valuable, also display a clear bias in favor of the imperial authorities, and should be seen in that light.

 

Paper is intended to be read in advance, please access it here