The Different Faces of Politics in the Visual and Performative Arts

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 artist foregrounding how they have always tried to influence, challenge and, in some cases, undermine one another.

This volume will serve as an indispensable source for researchers and academics in political science, the humanities and performing arts.

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.