Browsing by Author "Manifold, Marjorie C."

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A 21st Century Global Aesthetic - Neo-Teatrum Mundi
(2007 InSEA Regional Congress, Seoul, Korea, 2007-08-23) Manifold, Marjorie C.
As youth from diverse nations interact and play together online, they may adopt masks of universal archtypes in order to know and be known by others. The masks also represent an emerging new global aesthetic and sense of self in society. As Steven Johnson (1997) states, “All great symbolic forms address the conflict between the private self and the larger community that frames that self, whether this valuation lies at the surface of the work or is buried somewhere in its underlying assumptions.” In this paper, I report information collected from interviews with over 100 youth and young adults from 17 countries who perform and create artworks based on popular media conveyed narratives, role-playing games, comics, manga, and animated stories. I argue that the symbolic functions of these expressions constitute a kind of neo-teatrum mundi—or “life as theater and theater as life”. Youth publicly present themselves as archetypes-characters drawn from globally known narratives while privately integrating multiple self and social identities. Finally, I present an analysis and interpretation of the visual characteristics of neo-teatrum mundi and draw implications for an interdisciplinary arts education of the 21st century.
Youth Empowerment Using the Arts: An Indicative Theoretical Model for Practitioners
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2016-08) Alkateb-Chami, Maya; Manifold, Marjorie C.
This thesis proposes a comprehensive model for fostering youth empowerment through the arts. A viable working model is urgently needed since many current research reports appear to be case studies or articles describing specific programs and lacking the adequate methodology and documentation necessary to render these studies verifiable and replicable by other researchers. In addition, the absence of consensus regarding program objectives and outcomes hinders meaningful discourse among researchers and practitioners. By identifying knowledge gaps in research on arts-based approaches to youth empowerment, this thesis provides a valuable starting point for professionals as they develop desired objectives for their programs and design activities for achieving programmatic goals. The methodology of this thesis harnesses techniques of meta- analysis and grounded theory to construct a definition of youth empowerment that is currently operative in the field. Patterns observed in programs implemented to-date are noted, including art forms mobilized, duration and location of programs, participant demographics, and evaluation methods. References made to researchers’ work and findings are synthesized to summarize and critique the theoretical framework currently in use. The proposed model detailed in this thesis is grounded in current practices, which are outlined and summarized in the study. It focuses on developing four attributes that enable the individual to empower him or herself: competence, consciousness, self-efficacy, and positive connections. Competence encompasses skills including communication, critical thinking, and the ability to self-heal. Consciousness entails the motivation for community involvement and awareness of social justice issues, and self-efficacy is present in parallel with having a positive sense of identity. The resulting ongoing empowerment of self and others promotes the linkage of taking action and resilience. This study includes practical guidelines along with theoretical references to help practitioners design the most effective programs, contributing to demonstrable and lasting outcomes.