CfP: "The Provocateur?"

[Deborah Jones]

Who are provocateurs, what are provocations, and what do they provoke? This
panel investigates the provocateur as both narrative figure and actual
instigator, and attends to the idea of provocation in 'revolutionary'
movements, political, artistic, scientific, or otherwise.

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Join us in Tallinn (July 31st - August 3rd) for a, well, provocative
discussion.  While this panel was inspired by talk of 'provocateurs' in the
ongoing protests in Ukraine and Bulgaria, we welcome panelists working in
other parts of the world, and who approach the idea of 'provocation' in
contexts other than political protest.

Paper proposals are due February 27th and can be submitted here:
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/easa/easa2014/panels.php5?PanelID=3091

If you have any questions, please do get in touch!

Many thanks,

Deborah Jones
University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor

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LONG ABSTRACT:  During the early December protests in Ukraine, a band of
masked men drove a bulldozer down a demonstrator-filled street, throwing
flares and Molotov cocktails at the riot police, who, two nights before,
had beaten bloody dozens of activists. Confusion reigned: whose side were
these anonymous troublemakers on? Were they a fringe unit of the
pro-European movement, or thugs hired by the ruling party? Both protest
organizers and the ruling party quickly disassociated themselves from the
masked men, labeling them 'provocateurs,' illegitimate actors whose sole
mission was to incite trouble.

The idea of the 'provocateur' has a long history in discourse regarding
political action; its applications in the current waves in
anti-governmental protests in Eastern Europe are rampant. However, the
provocateur, whether as archetype or as actuality, pops up in other
environments, stirring up controversy in popular culture, academia, late
night comedy sketches, even religious movements. This panel investigates
the idea of the provocateur as a narrative figure, in both historical and
contemporary contexts. Who counts as a provocateur, and what role do they
play in the identity constitution of the movement they allegedly disrupt?
What counts as a provocation, and what is the role of media in its
narrativization? How is provocation a rhetorical instrument deployed in
struggles in political (or other) fields? Does provocation necessarily
involve some level of deception or misrecognition? Finally, is
provocation...necessary? Keeping with the conference theme, we pay
particular attention to the idea of provocation in 'revolutionary'
movements, political, artistic, scientific, or otherwise.