Abstract
This article explores the potential of participatory (theatre) projects from a postcolonial perspective. Therefore, it illuminates the aesthetic research project Warum
erben
manche
ein
Schloss
und
andere
Schulden? [Why do some inherit a castle and others debts?], conducted with a group of children between the age of 7 and 13 from February to October of 2022 in Vienna. Firstly, the theoretical concept of subaltern articulation, delineated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and the model of the citizens‘ stage are elucidated as methodological foundations. Subsequently, dynamics, framework conditions, and working methods, that not only favored the reproduction of (epistemic) power structures in the project, but also used participation to legitimize hegemonic conditions are discussed. Finally, a tool for power-critical intervention practice is presented. The tool emphasizes processes of unlearning and offers both a recommendation and encouragement for further discussions regarding the necessary development of practices that are critical of power and discrimination at the intersection of art, social work, and politics.
Keywords: participation, theater, citizen stage, postcolonial theory, subaltern, subaltern articulation, power-critical practice of intervention