Between ‘Artivism’ and ‘Actionism’

Author(s)

Fabrizio Massini

Abstract

This article presents a longitudinal study of an original modality of performance, defined by the author as feminist actionism, that surfaced in China in the 2010s and propelled the local feminist movement forward in unexpected ways. Beginning in 2012, a cohort of young feminists rose to public prominence by staging eye-catching street actions addressing issues such as domestic violence, sexual harassment and gender discrimination. By cleverly using the then-novel tool of social media, they co-opted the (traditionally controversy-averse) mainstream media to report on their performances, and in doing so quickly brought these issues to the forefront of public awareness and debate. In 2015, however, the momentum gained was brutally halted with the arrest of five activists in what is now commonly referred to as the ‘Feminist Five’ incident. While previous scholarship has largely analysed this performance mode as a byproduct of the advent of social media, this article emphasizes the importance of locating its DNA in its continuity with feminist theatre, which set the stage for its emergence in the previous decade. By introducing the framework of feminist actionism and expanding the analysis beyond this three-year timeframe, the article analyses the artistic dimension and the activist component of these performances together, in a holistic way. By reconstructing how feminist actionism has stirred the trajectory of the feminist movement in postmillennial China, this article demonstrates the long-term and relentless influence of performance methodologies and their ability to build resilience in communities, in creative and adaptive ways and in circumstances ranging from adverse to downright hostile. Relatedly, by contrasting the normative (Western) historiography of artivism with this previously unacknowledged Chinese lineage, the article questions the underlying dynamics of inclusion and exclusion within the discipline of performance studies.

Organisation(s)

Department of East Asian Studies

Journal

Performance Research: a journal of the performing arts

Volume

29

Pages

137

No. of pages

147

ISSN

1352-8165

Publication date

06-2025

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

604006 Performing arts, 602045 Sinology, 605004 Cultural studies, 604029 Theatre studies

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 5 - Gender Equality, SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e1127ed6-7ff5-4dd0-8c91-36b4f9fb83b3