Beyond reconciliation, towards regeneration
Social circus in Northern Ireland
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12236144 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eleanor Lybeck (0000-0002-4987-699X, University of Liverpool, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 437-451 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-19 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cultural Trends (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0954-8963 • E-ISSN: 1469-3690 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09548963.2023.2258815 |
| OpenAlex | W4387768643 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
This article acknowledges for the first time in an academic context the significant role played by social circus in conflict transformation across Northern Ireland and, more specifically, urban regeneration in Belfast after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. The focus is on the Belfast Community Circus School (BCCS) and the annual Festival of Fools, which emerged from the social mission and practical delivery of BCCS activities. BCCS was founded in the mid-1980s to offer children and young people in Belfast an alternative, creative outlet for their feelings and to establish "common ground" between communities amid conflict. This essay takes its lead initially from BCCS founders, reconsidering their motivations and the fundamental tenets of the School – as expressed by teachers and former pupils – alongside other studies of social circus in action around the world throughout a similar period. It also theorises the political intent and impact of BCCS through reference to the performance philosophy of Alan Read. Evidence in support of the argument is drawn from a range of available sources including policy and strategy documents, annual reports, performance evaluations, and interviews with key figures within the organisation. From this body of evidence, it becomes clear that, in the move towards what we might term (after Read) a Republic of Play, a change in BCCS, its own sense of identity and purpose within society was inevitable, as Northern Ireland continues the process of reconciliation and post-conflict transformation. Finally, then, the article attends to the recent transformation within BCCS itself, which in 2021 became Circusful: an organization with its own set of social and economic goals
Ethnology · Media studies · Northern ireland · Political science · Regeneration (biology · Sociology · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Public Spaces through Art · Theatre and Performance Studies
Regeneration of Cultural Quarters
Social Movements in Violently Divided Societies
Rings of Desire
Social Circus
Cultural quarters and urban regeneration – the case of Cathedral Quarter Belfast
Exploring young people’s understanding of culture
Frame Analysis
The Geography of Conflict and Death in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Social Circus as an Organised Cultural Encounter Embodied Knowledge, Trust and Creativity at Play
| Highly cited | No |
|---|