Stepping Away from Identity Thinking? Non-Identitarian Approaches to Dance Anthropology

DOI:10.33876/2311-0546/2025-1/91-111

Abstract

In search of possibilities for going beyond easily available and/or overcomplexified identity markers in dance anthropology, the article builds on Theodore Adorno’s critique of identity/identitarian thinking, with a focus on applying identitarian and non-identitarian approaches in dance studies. Identitarian approaches are examined in the article through a discursive metaanalysis of Anglophone studies devoted to practicing dance in mirrored classrooms alongside an autoethnography of stage dancing inspired by the traditions of Scottish Highland dancing, with an emphasis on its contested ‘authenticity’. Both of these case studies showcase the key epistemological risk of relying on identity thinking in anthropology: an intricate conceptual web of identity labels may become a barrier that hinders a deeper understanding of the (dance) phenomena this identitarian semiotic web conceptualises. Non-identity alternatives proposed in the article thus stem from a long-established tradition of dance phenomenology applied here to make sense of Jean Milligan’s vision of ‘controlled abandon’ in Scottish country dancing. Another non-identitarian technique explored uses Walter Benjamin's concept of dialectical image to envision the constellated chronotope(s) of the Scottish (soft-shoe) step dancing tradition. The article argues that non-identitarian approaches can complement the established identity thinking strategies, allowing a cooperative reader to make sense of various dancing practices. The significance of reader cooperation highlighted in the article underscores the heuristic value of writer-reader dialogue in anthropology.The article is published in English.