Root Map: Embracing the Border as Method

Abstract

The year 2015 began with the greatest number of displaced people across the globe since the Second World War. More than ever, those of us who have lacked the luxury of a place to call “home” yearn for stories and performances that connect us across conflicted borders.  In response to this global crisis, I joined forces with Kolkata based Arts Collective Chaepani, whose work centers around topics of migration and crossing cultural barriers. Via Praxis as Research (PAR), Root Map: Embracing the Border as Method argues that, in order to connect people across cultural and national borders, we must embrace performative realities that emerge from the rhythms of migration, diaspora and border spaces.