Performance arts-based methods in environmental governance: The use of applied theatre to foster representation of local people’s values in environmental decision-making.

Environmental degradation, poverty, and social discrimination are some of the consequences of unfair environmental decisions often present in rural communities in the Global South. In the realm of environmental governance, one difficulty in achieving fair decisions is the lack of representation of local people’s values in decision-making, often resulting from power differences that exclude people based on how their social axes intersect. Arts-based methods have been proposed to increase local people’s participation in environmental governance, however, little has been written about the potential of performance arts-based methods in environmental decision-making with a focus on values and local power differences. Performance arts, such as applied theatre, are particularly interesting as they can create spaces to reflect on how power differences are experienced in the participants’ everyday lives.
In this thesis, I explore the potential of performance arts-based methods to bring to the fore local people’s values and to discuss local power differences in environmental decision-making processes (in the context of environmental governance). The work has also included exploring to what extent environmental professionals see a role for these methods in environmental governance more broadly. This work was approached through the application of Forum Theatre in rural communities in Chiapas (Mexico) (Chapter 2), through the views of environmental professionals at the national level in Mexico (Chapter 3), and across a range of practitioners of environmental projects in the Global South (Chapter 4).
Findings provided evidence of the potential of applied theatre as a space for local people to bring to the fore plural and interconnected values. Furthermore, using these methods, it was demonstrated that local people negotiated their values during the emotive performances, imagining changes to conflicts (based on power differences) in environmental governance.
Despite applied theatre sharing challenges with conventional participatory methods such as the need for skilled facilitators, a rigorous ethical approach to 'do no harm’ is particularly needed while power differences are discussed with these methods. Additionally, applied theatre credibility depends on the environmental professionals' epistemological positions; in some interventions, these methods will require the implementation of complementary tools for analytical support.
This thesis advances conceptual and empirical understanding of the challenges and opportunities of using performance arts-based methods such as applied theatre to fairer represent local people’s values in environmental decision-making.