The performativity of terrorism: subversive experimentalist techniques in Pornography (2007) by Simon Stephens

ABSTRACT

Although terrorism has a complex genealogy as a political concept, contemporary discussions on “new terrorism” use a reductionist discourse on the legitimacy of violence. In this article, I discuss the “performativity” of terrorism – its repetitive, citational, and necessarily discursive composition within the established social system – in the context of Pornography (2007) by Simon Stephens. I argue that subversion of conventional playwriting techniques in Pornography reveals the complex social and political dynamics that continually refigure terrorism as the counter-image of war.

KEYWORDS:

• Terrorism
• performativity
• experimental theater
• Simon Stephens
• Pornography

Acknowledgements

This article was written as part of Dr Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay’s Performance and Politics Seminar at Kadir Has University. I would like to thank Dr Altınay, Asst. Prof. Emine Fişek and my colleagues in the seminar, as well as the two anonymous reviewers, for their helpful comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I would like to mention some other plays from contemporary British theatre that frame terrorism in unconventional ways, such as The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001) by Martin McDonagh, The People Next Door (2003) by Henry Adam, Talking to the Terrorists (2008, premiered in 2005) by Robin Soans, Product (2008, premiered in 2005) by Mark Ravenhill, Eight (2009, premiered in 2008) by Ella Hickson, Blood and Gifts (2010) by J. T. Rogers, True Brits (2014) by Vinay Patel, Cyprus Avenue (2016) by David Ireland, BU21 (2017, premiered in 2016) by Stuart Slade, and The Ferryman (2017) by Jez Butterworth.

2 Scene One cannot be considered as a monologue since it is a list of short biographical information about the victims of 7/7.

3 Please see, “Victims of the bombings.”