Hilarious Imperialists: Baktruppen’s Bad Family Photos from the World Tour
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
Baktruppen (The Rear Guard) has been canonised as a performance art collective that
insists on dismantling theatrical conventions and expectations. In theatre and performance studies, Baktruppen’s anti-attitude towards notions of artistic quality, theatrical conventions and “doing good” has been particularly highlighted. This article
proposes a reading across the archive of their oeuvre and finds an ongoing political
attempt to oppose nationalism and imperialism in Norway in the context of the selfconfident Nordic welfare state in decay. Baktruppen’s explicit political critique of the self-satisfied development programmes launched by the Nordic countries has, however, been overshadowed by the reception given to their formalist experimentation.
insists on dismantling theatrical conventions and expectations. In theatre and performance studies, Baktruppen’s anti-attitude towards notions of artistic quality, theatrical conventions and “doing good” has been particularly highlighted. This article
proposes a reading across the archive of their oeuvre and finds an ongoing political
attempt to oppose nationalism and imperialism in Norway in the context of the selfconfident Nordic welfare state in decay. Baktruppen’s explicit political critique of the self-satisfied development programmes launched by the Nordic countries has, however, been overshadowed by the reception given to their formalist experimentation.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | A Cultural History of the Avant-Garde in the Nordic Countries Since 1975 |
Editors | Tania Ørum, Laura Luise Schultz, Camilla Skovbjerg Paldam, Benedikt Hjartarson |
Number of pages | 11 |
Volume | 3 |
Publisher | Brill |
Publication date | 18 Aug 2022 |
Edition | 1 |
Pages | 293-303 |
Article number | 4 |
Chapter | 3 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789004515956 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 18 Aug 2022 |
ID: 324426070