Performative in a nutshell

Contributors to this new rubric draw attention to terms that are frequently used when we speak or write about our pedagogical practices. The idea is to engage Scenario readers in a discussion of key terminology in the area of performative teaching and learning. Through Scenario Journal and various Scenario Forum initiatives, including conferences, symposia, colloquia, the term performative has become a key term in the modern languages debate.2 Many readers will remember the 2014 conference entitled Performative Teaching, Learning, Research, the 2017 conference on Performative Spaces in Language, Literature and Culture Education; and the 2020 conference, which carried the title Going Performative in Education, had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 related lockdown. Like with any other term the meaning of the term performative very much depends on how it is used in a specific context. The photograph below draws our attention to a context that is particularly noteworthy against the background of the recent worldwide Black Lives Matter protests. Fig. 1: Underground station Mohrenstraße in Berlin Why is the streetname crossed out with a red line? From medieval times the German word Mohr was often used when reference was made to people with dark skin. Similary, in the ...