Rowe, Cami (2025) Carnivalesque Autocratization and the Implications for Protest Performance. In: International Federation of Theatre Research, 2025-06-09 - 2025-06-13, University of Cologne.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
In this paper I investigate the evolution of carnivalesque performance tactics in the career of Donald Trump, from his first presidential campaign to the present day. Perhaps more than any other political figure of recent times, Trump has inspired transdisciplinary analyses that emphasise the theatricality of his actions. Yet his political performances have not remained static or stable throughout his recent political career, and in fact are significantly shifting since his January 2025 inauguration. To unpack these shifts, this paper focuses on the carnivalesque elements of his political repertoire. Carnivalesque theatricality bears a close relationship to populist political projects but is also relevant to authoritarian and autocratic regimes of governance. It is hoped that by considering the carnivalesque alongside populism and autocracy, we might derive new insights about the nature of Trump’s 2025 political performances and their implications for political theatre makers.