Thespecial academic seminar on "Performativity Theory andInterdisciplinary Research" was held on March 11, 2023 at theInternational Conference Center of Nanjing University, organized bythe Art School of Nanjing University and a research group that issupportedbythe National Social Science Foundation for Arts, whichanchors a major project titled “Research onthe Pioneering Theories in Contemporary European and AmericanTheatre".
Scholarswith different academic backgrounds made reports on the topic ofperformativity, either touching on its theoretical framework or meansof investigation. They are from Nanjing University, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shandong University, Suzhou University, TaiyuanUniversity of Technology, Nanjing Normal University, NanjingAgricultural University, Yangzhou University, and Jiangsu Universityof Science and Technology. More than 200 scholars and studentsparticipated in the conference online.
In hisclosing speech, Professor He Chengzhou first pointed out that due tothe wide spectrum of performativity theories and the profusion ofdisciplines that can be applied to their interpretations, theresearch outcome inevitably takes shape as a synthesis that iscomplex, self-contradicting, rich, and interactive. Furthermore, heemphasized the importance of problem awareness in conversationaldiscussions, focusing on the explanatory power of performativityin different disciplinary fields. Professor He also expounded on therelationship between theoretical construction and textualinterpretation, hoping that the scholars’ discoveries will be seenin academic journals with dialogical potentials.
