Keywords: Contemporary Arts, Cultural Activism, Aesthetic Theory, People’s Tribunals, Tribunalization, Social Justice, Law and Visual Culture
Research Institution: Department of Theatre, Film and Media Studies | Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies | University of Vienna
Mentor: Prof. Dr. Lisa Gotto, Professor of Film Theory & Department Head
Funding Organization and Program: Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Early-Stage Program: Research, Innovation, Training (ESPRIT)
Project Start: March 2026
Grant-DOI: 10.55776/ESP1079625
PR-Abstract: Tribunalization is a multifaceted and ambiguous notion. While tribunals are predominantly recognized as legal and quasi-legal entities, dynamics of tribunalization can be observed across various societal domains, media landscapes, cultural spheres, and current arts. Situated at the crossroads of art studies, media aesthetics, political theory, and critical legal studies, this project investigates tribunalization as a transversal phenomenon through cultural analysis, with a focus on contemporary arts and activism. Drawing on exemplary tribunals from the past decade, the study analyzes a range of tribunal formats, including postdramatic theater hearings, postconceptual art installations, hybrid assemblies, and activist coalitions. These tribunals delve into a range of timely and contentious issues, such as the climate crisis, the erosion of democratic institutions, and the freedom of the arts. The objectives of this project are threefold: to outline a theory of tribunalization, to advance the research field of tribunal aesthetics, and to conceptualize the figuration of tribunal address. Through this framework, the project aims to critically reflect on ethical and aesthetic dimensions of tribunalization, highlighting its complexities and ambivalences in confronting disturbing realities.
