Ledtrådar till estetiskt engagemang i processdrama : Samspel i roll i en fiktiv verksamhet

The aim of the thesis is to deepen the understanding of role taking and the function of role for developing and exploring the possible content in process drama, with the help of Leontiev’s activity theory and Bakhtin’s dialogism. The relation between role taking, aesthetic engagement and the concept of perezhivanie, used by Vygotsky, is also reflected on and used as analytical tools. A starting point for the study was Bundy’s concept of aesthetic engagement. Previous research about process drama has focused on three main themes: teaching and learning a subject matter, engagement, and creative leadership. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge base on how role is created and maintained in process drama, thereby making it possible to develop and explore a thematic content. One single process drama conducted at an English secondary school is closely analysed in the thesis. A whole day session was filmed, transcribed and interpreted into thick descriptions. Interviews and letters written in role are used as complementary data. This made it possible to focus on nuances and subtle changes in the complexity that characterizes a process drama, and to focus on how the students’ role taking starts and develops. The results from the detailed analysis showed, from an activity theory perspective, that process drama can be understood as two activities with two different motives/objects. These two are an educational activity with learning drama as motive/object and a temporary fictional activity where the motive/object is tentative and under construction through the pupils’ in-role-actions. Actions deriving from the educational activity should not be allowed to influence the fictional, otherwise the fictional activity will be diminished. How the teacher used power levelling postupaks, when opening dilemmas, and teacher-in-role was of great importance for the pupils’ role taking. Postupaks are a consequence of the format of the temporary fictional activity an