Call for Papers The Opportune Moment and the Early Modern Theatre of Politics
Thursday 12th November 2015
13.00-20.00, Room 112, 43 Gordon Square, Birkbeck, University of London
Seminar: 13.00-17.30
Keynote: 18.00-19.00 Professor Neil Rhodes, University of St Andrews, followed by a drinks reception
This seminar will focus on the uses, and the idea, of the opportune moment in the political theatre / theatrical politics of the European Renaissance.
Although in many ways lost to contemporary conceptualisations of temporality, kairos/occasio was an essential part of the Renaissance world-view. Writers from Machiavelli to Shakespeare reiterated the importance of recognising and properly seizing kairos or ‘occasion’ in order to achieve desired ends – whether personal or political. The need to be attentive to this moment could justify normally immoral actions, and so kairos was associated with moral flexibility, deviousness and cunning, both in the political and theatrical worlds.
Kairos/occasio plays two key roles in Renaissance political writing. In works on political rhetoric, the speaker must seize the opportune moment to communicate frank and truthful advice, or risk his life. Second, political actors must also be aware of kairos as the success or failure of a venture rested upon it. Largely thanks to the work of Machiavelli, kairos/occasio in this second usage prevailed in the sixteenth century, bringing with it a sense of moral flexibility. Political actors and writers noted the importance of ‘temporizing’ in order to prevent one’s enemy from seizing their occasion, so that you might seize yours. What resulted was a shift from the moment of opportunity into the moment of exception, defining the political as what was outside of universal morality.
On the early modern stage kairos/occasio is used to define or destabilise specific theatrical identities, and to comment on particular strata of identity such as gender. Kairos/occasio was often figured as a woman, and the ‘seizing’ of the moment described in violent, sexualised language. The concept of kairos/occasio can drive the plot forward, and equally a missed opportunity can disrupt the linear temporal flow of a narrative. Kairos/occasio has a strong presence in certain dramatic genres, and it is also an important concept for those interested in thinking about the experience of early modern theatregoers – how does occasio shape the temporal structure of the theatrical moment itself?
We invite papers that explore the concept of kairos/occasio in relation to any aspect of early modern theatre or political thought in the period 1500-1660. Questions that papers might address include:
How does kairos/occasio shape political and performative spheres in the period?
How do discourses of kairos/occasio outside politics or theatre impact its representation in those respective worlds?
What is the relationship between the idea of kairos/occasio in political and in theatrical discourses?
What performative strategies employ concepts of kairos/occasio in the early modern period?
How is kairos/occasio visualised on the early modern stage?
In what ways is the concept of the opportune moment used to confirm or destabilise identity?
How does the idea or representation of kairos/occasio change across this time period?
To attend the seminar, please send an abstract of max. 300 words, accompanied by a one-page CV by 30th September 2015 to the seminar organisers Dr Joanne Paul, Dr Kristine Johanson, and Dr Sarah Lewis at graspingkairos@gmail.com. We welcome abstracts from both established scholars and postgraduates. If you would like to audit the seminar, please email the network and we will hopefully be able to accommodate you.
To attend the keynote address, please email graspingkairos@gmail.com to be added to the list of attendees.
The London Renaissance Seminar awarded the Grasping Kairos network a Small Prize Internship 2014/15 to fund this event.
Download PDF of CFP here.
