Towards a rhythmic account of working together and taking part

Abstract

The idea that the world is composed of moving and constantly transforming materialities that are vibrant, quivering, and indeterminate has shifted how we think about human and non-human relations. Matter is not a stable entity, but one that is continuously vibrating and differentiating. This materialism is crucial for thinking about possible futures of educational research. In this paper, I turn to the materiality of rhythm, movement, and affect to suggest a more vital understanding of participation and thus politics. The paper takes as its starting point contemporary art that is often framed as collaborative, relational, or participatory. However, the dilemma with such art is that under the guise of collaboration, sociality, and inclusion participation becomes a method of appeasement as opposed to any real process of transformation. Participation is often instrumentalized in order to minimize conflict and friction, and reifies utopic notions of emancipation, voice, and agency. In this short essay, I want to consider participation's materiality. Rather than thinking of participation as democratic decision-making, can we imagine participation as an intrinsic mode of being where taking part is not something to opt into or out of, but a vital lived relation.