Black Hair and Dramaturgy: Feeling, Thinking, and Politicizing Black Hair through Two Short Theater Plays

Abstract

This article explores the significance of black hair as a symbol of creativity, imagination, culture, and identity. It emphasizes that black hair, like performing arts, is political, as it deconstructs hegemonic beauty standards that have historically marginalized Blackness. The article highlights how colonial structures have used black hair to reinforce racism, exclusion, and inequality.

The focus of the article is on the research and creative process that led to the development of two short theater pieces: Alisado and Gloria, Lola, Margarita, and Luis, written by Pablo Tatés Anangonó. These works use black hair as a starting point to explore intercultural themes and reflect on racial discrimination.

In the introduction, the significance of hair in daily life and on stage as a tool for constructing stories and characters is emphasized. Hair is seen as continually processed through cultural practices, which bestow meaning and value upon it.

The theoretical framework delves into concepts related to plot, dramaturgy, and the thematic concerns of the plays. Black hair is examined as a physical attribute historically used to identify Black individuals, and how colonialism has employed this to establish racial hierarchies and differences. The analysis connects these ideas to artistic and aesthetic theories that link art with social and political dimensions.

The methodology employed is research in the arts, addressing and visualizing issues of personal and cultural significance. Autonarrative methods from various paradigms are employed, linking personal experience with cultural context, and testimonies of racism and discrimination related to black hair are collected.

In the discussion, the theater pieces Alisado and Gloria, Lola, Margarita, and Luis are examined from different perspectives, showing the importance of black hair in colonial history and its commodification in modern times. The influence of capitalism on this commodification is addressed, and the plays spark reflections on racism and oppression.

The conclusion underscores the importance of using performing arts as a research methodology to produce knowledge and foster reflections on significant social and cultural issues. The plays presented in academic events, referenced in this article, were well-received and provoked valuable discussions on black hair and its meaning in contemporary society.