1st Edition

The Different Faces of Politics in the Visual and Performative Arts

Edited By Mario Thomas Vassallo, Andre P. Debattista Copyright 2024
250 Pages 48 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge India

250 Pages 48 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge India

250 Pages 48 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge India

This book highlights the linkages between politics and governance and the arts. The essays in the volume show how visual and performative arts have challenged those in power – or conversely patronised by them – been used for propaganda, to stir up national fervour and found themselves at the receiving end of political censure. They focus on the tension and symbiosis between the politician and the... Read more

Politics in paintings, sculpture, urban planning, theatre and cinematography:                    

An Introduction

Mario Thomas Vassallo and André P. DeBattista

 

Part 1 - Politics and the Visual Arts

 

1. Polis and Imperium: the making of the modern world

Horatio Caesar Roger Vella

 

2. Politics and Art in Baroque Malta: A Case Study in the Expression of Magnificence and its Relevance to the present day

Theresa Vella

 

3. Colonialism, collective identity and symbolism: Constructing perceptions of identity in a former British colony

Charles Xuereb

 

4. Symbols of statehood: flags and national anthems

André P. DeBattista

 

5. Postage Stamps as a political tool across time and space: Reflections of a Maltese Philatelist

André P. DeBattista

 

6. Architecture, Politics and Memory in Post-WWII Europe

Conrad Thake

 

7. Political posters and Corsican nationalist mobilisation: 1970-1990

André Fazi and Xavier Crettiez

 

 

Part 2 - Politics in the Performative Arts

 

8. French cinematography and politics: A symbol of French national cultural identity

Charles Xuereb

 

9. The World through the Comedian's Lens: The Political and Social Commentary of Charles Chaplin

Clyde Puli

 

10. Brecht for non-marxists

Marco Galea

 

11. Fantozzi and politics as a farce: A critical perspective

George Vital Zammit

 

12. The politics of film industry: The Maltese experience

Karsten Xuereb

 

13. Pathways: Walking in a Terrain in Flux

Paula Guzzanti and John D’Arcy

Biography

Mario Thomas Vassallo is a Senior Lecturer of governance, politics and public administration. He is the Head of the Department of Public Policy, University of Malta, and serves as Rector’s Delegate to the Institute for Public Services. Vassallo hosts the series AGORA, the weekly political talk show on Campus FM, the University of Malta’s radio station. His academic works have been published by Maltese and international publishers.

André P. DeBattista lectures at the Institute for European Studies at the University of Malta and is a political scientist and occasional columnist. He is a Research Associate at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Brussels and a Contributing Editor to The European Conservative. He is the author of several scholarly papers and press commentaries covering the themes of politics, international relations, political discourse and the dynamics of religion and public life.