Feminist Activist Performance in Sweden

In the 2000s, Sweden has experienced a veritable explosion of feminist performing arts. Although feminist actions, theatre, shows and performance existed previously, feminist events with a distinct political and activist approach have emerged strongly in the current decade. Feminist culture festivals are held in rapid succession, and feminist performance, dance and theatre occasionally attract broader audiences. This popularization of feminist performing arts is related to the lively feminist activism in Sweden, but also to other social movements and community art projects openly criticising the right-wing political practices and promoting alternatives. In this paper, I will discuss a few examples of feminist activist performance in Sweden today.Current issues such as the decline of the Swedish welfare state, the aggressive neoliberal policies and its consequences, the US invasion of Iraq, globalisation, trafficking and so on, have led to a new collective political mobilisation and to new political coalitions where feminists and queer activists work together with the Swedish antiracist movement. To examine inequality in the vast field of race-related, class-based and sexuality-orientated gender and performance studies is linked to the intersectional perspective that has in recent years become a debated and, at least in theory, popular concept in Sweden. This paper connects this theoretical concept with politics and performance in contemporary Sweden.