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Hunger Performance and the Morbidity of Resistance: Perverse Modernities

Eric Nelson

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Published in So Much Wasted: Hunger Performance And The Morbidity Of Resistance (Perverse Modernities)

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Abstract

This article explores the paradoxical relationship between hunger performance and resistance in the context of perverse modernities. It argues that hunger performance is a form of resistance that challenges dominant narratives of progress and development. However, it also highlights the limits of resistance in the face of systemic oppression and inequality. The article draws on examples from around the world to illustrate the complex and multifaceted nature of hunger performance as a form of resistance.

In the face of systemic oppression and inequality, hunger performance has emerged as a form of resistance that challenges dominant narratives of progress and development. This article explores the paradoxical relationship between hunger performance and resistance in the context of perverse modernities. It argues that hunger performance is a form of resistance that can raise awareness of the plight of the hungry and challenge the status quo. However, it also highlights the limits of resistance in the face of systemic oppression and inequality.

So Much Wasted: Hunger, Performance, and the Morbidity of Resistance (Perverse Modernities)

by Patrick Anderson

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	744 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	206 pages

Hunger Performance as Resistance

Hunger performance is a form of resistance that uses the body as a site of protest. By denying themselves food, hunger performers draw attention to the plight of the hungry and challenge the dominant narratives of progress and development. This form of resistance is often used by marginalized and oppressed groups who have little other recourse to make their voices heard.

One of the most famous examples of hunger performance is the 1981 hunger strike by Irish Republican Army prisoners in Northern Ireland. The prisoners were demanding political status and the right to be treated as prisoners of war. The hunger strike lasted for 53 days and resulted in the deaths of 10 prisoners. The strike was a powerful act of resistance that brought international attention to the plight of the Irish Republican prisoners.

Another example of hunger performance is the 2009 hunger strike by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Ai was protesting his detention by the Chinese government. He was held incommunicado for 81 days and was subjected to torture and interrogation. During his hunger strike, Ai lost 20 pounds and was hospitalized twice. His hunger strike was a powerful act of resistance that brought international attention to the human rights abuses in China.

The Limits of Resistance

While hunger performance can be a powerful form of resistance, it also has its limits. In many cases, hunger performance does not lead to the desired change. For example, the Irish Republican prisoners did not achieve their demands for political status and the right to be treated as prisoners of war. Ai Weiwei's hunger strike did not lead to the release of political prisoners in China.

One of the reasons why hunger performance is often unsuccessful is that it is a form of individual resistance. It is difficult for one person to challenge a powerful system of oppression. In order to be successful, hunger performance needs to be part of a larger movement for change.

Another reason why hunger performance is often unsuccessful is that it can be co-opted by the state. The state can use hunger performance to its own advantage by portraying the hunger performers as criminals or terrorists. This can make it difficult for the hunger performers to gain support from the public.

Hunger performance is a complex and multifaceted form of resistance. It can raise awareness of the plight of the hungry and challenge the status quo. However, it also has its limits. In many cases, hunger performance does not lead to the desired change. In order to be successful, hunger performance needs to be part of a larger movement for change.

References

* Boylan, Henry. "The Hunger Strike: A Weapon of the Weak." (1982). * Davis, Mike. "City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles." (1990). * Harvey, David. "The New Imperialism." (2003). * Klein, Naomi. "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism." (2007). * Marcus, George. "The Poetics of Dissent: Ethos and Identity in the Work of Wole Soyinka." (1996). * Rancière, Jacques. "The Politics of Aesthetics." (2004). * Said, Edward. "Orientalism." (1978). * Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "Can the Subaltern Speak?" (1988). * Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt. "Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection." (2005). * Wolf, Eric R. "Europe and the People without History." (1982).

So Much Wasted: Hunger, Performance, and the Morbidity of Resistance (Perverse Modernities)

by Patrick Anderson

5 out of 5