Thirdness as a Tool for Socio-Ethical Transformation in Group Improvisational Play

Abstract

In a culture that values autonomy and human-centered approaches, the role of play in promoting unity, inclusivity, and shared spaces of the world’s material-discursiveness is often overlooked. This research highlights the transformative potential of thirdness, defined as a dialectical and emergent phenomenon of entangled agency, in the context of the jam session, a distinct form of group improvisational play. The study is guided by a diffractive methodological framework incorporating comparative and phenomenological research. This research diffracts Karen Barad’s theory of agential realism and Hans Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, illustrating how the jam is an ethically transformative event involving genuine intersubjective dialogue and mutually entangled agency. Through the intra-section of Barad's and Gadamer's perspectives, the jam becomes an onto-ethico-epistemological practice that promotes our collective existence's communal and creation-centered aspects.

Agential realism is ideally positioned to apply to group improvisational play, as both involve the intra-connected, embodied, and relational dynamics between humans and more-than-humans. Grounded in the philosophical framework of quantum theory, Barad's concepts of intra-action, entanglement, and diffraction help establish thirdness as a relationally ontological phenomenon. Through this new materialist lens, the ‘matter’ of group improvisational play becomes an apparatus for learning responsibility, accountability, and the cooperative underpinnings essential to our relational and ontological makeup.

Gadamer’s hermeneutics regards play as a dynamic, multifaceted dialogue between individuals, cultures, and communities. This interactive process aims to foster mutual understanding and enhance the relationships between the involved parties. His emphasis on bringing together different perspectives, worldviews, and experiences in this playful exchange is an ideal conversation for ethical transformation in a jam as a space that enriches and expands our understanding of each other and the world around us.

This research presents a comprehensive investigation into the intricate intra-play between play and its capacity to address socio-ethical complexities. It analyzes how group improvisational play contributes to the cultivation of collective responsibility and the promotion of social justice. Furthermore, it suggests potential approaches for integrating improvisational play practices into ethical decision-making in our daily lives and relationships.

Disciplines

Applied Ethics | Performance Studies

Department

Humanities (HUM)

First Advisor

Jennifer Horan

Second Advisor

Daniel M. Cowdin

Date of Award

Winter 12-2024

Third Advisor

Dale Schmid, Christopher Carbone

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

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