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Ethnofiction: genre hybridity in theory and practice-based research

Sjöberg, J E

[Thesis].Drama at the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures. Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester;2009.

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Abstract

The thesis and the two films form a practice PhD in drama exploring ethnofiction ??? anexperimental ethnographic filmmaking approach pioneered by visual anthropologistJean Rouch. In the mid-1950???s Rouch started to experiment with fiction and???projective improvisation??? in ethnographic films such as Jaguar (1957-1967), Moi, unnoir (1957) and La pyramide humaine (1959). Film critics would call these films???ethnofictions???. After agreeing a story outline, the camera simply follows the subjects???improvisations of their own, and others???, lived experiences. The aim is to showaspects of ethnographic research otherwise hard to represent. A key question of thedoctoral research has been whether a nuanced understanding of foreign cultures canbe created and mediated by combining ethnographic research methods with theprocesses of dramatic work.Even though Rouch made ethnofictions as part of his ethnographic research, heinfused the genre with elements of surrealism and poetry, and often opposed anyonetrying to establish theories about his films. Defying Rouch???s view on this matter, thisthesis explores ethnofiction as an ethnographic filmmaking method by drawing on theexperiences from fieldwork and filmmaking among transgendered Brazilians living inS??o Paulo.The fieldwork resulted in a feature-length ethnofiction and an ethnographicdocumentary short:Transfiction focuses on identity and discrimination in the daily lives of Braziliantravestis and transsexuals. Informed by transgendered artists, prostitutes, healthworkers and political activists, Fabia Mirassos projected her life through the role ofMeg, a transsexual hairdresser confronting intolerance and re-living memories ofabuse. Savana ???Bibi??? Meirelles plays Zilda who makes her living as one of the manytransgendered sex workers in S??o Paulo, as she struggles to find her way out ofprostitution.Drama Queens is an ethnographic documentary short and contains four scenes fromthe over 200 hours of rushes that were recorded during the fieldwork. The scenes arefrom S??o Paulo???s annual Pride Parade and present Bibi, Fabia and Phedra who werethe main informants of the research conducted at the theatre Os Satyros in central S??oPaulo.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Type of thesis:
Author(s) list:
Degree type:
PhD in Drama
Publication date:
Total pages:
223
Table of contents:
List of Photos ........................................................................................................4List of Figures ........................................................................................................ 5Abstract ................................................................................................................ 6Declaration ............................................................................................................ 8Copyright Statement .............................................................................................. 8Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 9The Author ........................................................................................................... 10Introduction .......................................................................................................... 11The research project: ............................................................................................ 11Method and Research Process............................................................................... 13Part One ??? Rouch???s Ethnofiction: Historical Context ................................................ 181 Genre and Genre Hybridity.................................................................................. 192 Early Genre Hybridities....................................................................................... 213 Rouch???s Contemporary Influences........................................................................ 23Part Two ??? Ethnofiction as a Generic Methodology................................................... 291 Ethnographic Filmmaking Approach..................................................................... 332 Shared Anthropology.......................................................................................... 343 Reflexive Filmmaking.......................................................................................... 374 Improvised Filmmaking....................................................................................... 38Cin??ma V??rit?? and Surrealism................................................................................ 415 Improvised Acting............................................................................................... 47Cin??-pleasure....................................................................................................... 48Projective Improvisation......................................................................................... 51Descriptive Function............................................................................................. 54Expressive Function............................................................................................. 576 Potential Problems of Rouch???s Ethnofiction as a Generic Method.......................... 672Part Three ??? Fiction in Ethnography....................................................................... 691 Fiction in Written Ethnography........................................................................... 692 Fiction in Ethnographic Film............................................................................... 763 Authors, Participants and Spectators.................................................................. 87Part Four - Brazilian Transgender Identity and Performance..................................... 921 Transgender and Transg??nero as Problematic Signifiers....................................... 942 Transgender Identity in a Social Context ............................................................ 98Transsexual Identity .......................................................................................... 101Travesti Identity................................................................................................. 1023 History of Transgender Performance ................................................................ 1064 Transgender Stereotypes................................................................................ 1096 Contemporary Transgender Performance.......................................................... 1127 Fieldwork at theatre Os Satyros at Pra??a Roosevelt.......................................... 1208 Drama Queens.............................................................................................. 1249 Transgender Identity and Performance at Os Satyros....................................... 13210 Transgender Identity, Perfromance and Ethnofiction ....................................... 136Part Five ??? The Making of ???Transfiction???............................................................... 1431 Directing Transfiction...................................................................................... 143Ethnographic Filmmaking Approach in Transfiction.............................................. 144Shared Anthropology in Transfiction................................................................... 150Improvised Filmmaking in Transfiction................................................................. 152Ethnographic, Narrative and Ethical Responsibilities............................................ 157Film Ethics...................................................................................................... 160Reflexive Filmmaking in Transfiction................................................................... 1662 Acting in Transfiction..................................................................................... 171Cin??-pleasure in Transfiction............................................................................. 172Spontaneity in Transfiction............................................................................... 174Modes of Performance in Transfiction ............................................................... 176Projective Improvisation in Transfiction.............................................................. 179Descriptive Function in Transfiction................................................................... 179Expressive Function in Transfiction................................................................... 1813 Narrative Function of Ethnofiction................................................................... 1853Summary....................................................................................................... 192Ethnofiction in Theory...................................................................................... 192Transgender Identity and Performance.............................................................. 194Ethnofiction in Practice................................................................................... 196Bibliography................................................................................................... 201Interviews and Conversations........................................................................... 217Email Correspondence................................................................................... 218Conference and Seminar Papers..................................................................... 218Attended Conferences and Seminars.............................................................. 219Websites..................................................................................................... 219Filmography................................................................................................. 220
Abstract:
The thesis and the two films form a practice PhD in drama exploring ethnofiction ??? anexperimental ethnographic filmmaking approach pioneered by visual anthropologistJean Rouch. In the mid-1950???s Rouch started to experiment with fiction and???projective improvisation??? in ethnographic films such as Jaguar (1957-1967), Moi, unnoir (1957) and La pyramide humaine (1959). Film critics would call these films???ethnofictions???. After agreeing a story outline, the camera simply follows the subjects???improvisations of their own, and others???, lived experiences. The aim is to showaspects of ethnographic research otherwise hard to represent. A key question of thedoctoral research has been whether a nuanced understanding of foreign cultures canbe created and mediated by combining ethnographic research methods with theprocesses of dramatic work.Even though Rouch made ethnofictions as part of his ethnographic research, heinfused the genre with elements of surrealism and poetry, and often opposed anyonetrying to establish theories about his films. Defying Rouch???s view on this matter, thisthesis explores ethnofiction as an ethnographic filmmaking method by drawing on theexperiences from fieldwork and filmmaking among transgendered Brazilians living inS??o Paulo.The fieldwork resulted in a feature-length ethnofiction and an ethnographicdocumentary short:Transfiction focuses on identity and discrimination in the daily lives of Braziliantravestis and transsexuals. Informed by transgendered artists, prostitutes, healthworkers and political activists, Fabia Mirassos projected her life through the role ofMeg, a transsexual hairdresser confronting intolerance and re-living memories ofabuse. Savana ???Bibi??? Meirelles plays Zilda who makes her living as one of the manytransgendered sex workers in S??o Paulo, as she struggles to find her way out ofprostitution.Drama Queens is an ethnographic documentary short and contains four scenes fromthe over 200 hours of rushes that were recorded during the fieldwork. The scenes arefrom S??o Paulo???s annual Pride Parade and present Bibi, Fabia and Phedra who werethe main informants of the research conducted at the theatre Os Satyros in central S??oPaulo.

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:68172
Created by:
Sjoberg, Johannes
Created:
23rd October, 2009, 00:36:41
Last modified by:
Sjoberg, Johannes
Last modified:
4th September, 2012, 02:18:02

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