Elena Backhausen M.A.
PhD student | Bodies and Performances
I studied Theatre Studies and German philology in Mainz and Helsinki, and Dramaturgy in Frankfurt am Main and Stockholm. My academic perspective has been shaped by theories and approaches from Theatre Studies, as well as by Critical Theory and Deconstruction.
Current Research
As a theatre scholar, I have always been particularly interested in performances beyond traditional theatre stages and in the performative construction of normativity through representation. In our project, I investigate how in:dependence is constituted as a performative act within formations of visually impaired sports. My research focuses on trust, synchronization, and communication as relational and interdependent practices between visually impaired athletes and their guides.
I have moved away from the traditional theatre studies method of performance analysis in favor of a transdisciplinary approach—particularly due to the specific demands of this research field. Instead, I integrate perspectives from fieldwork, Performance Studies, and philosophy, combining performative, praxeological, and empirical methods to capture the complexity of visually impaired sports.
Research Objectives
Beyond analyzing the practices of visually impaired sports, I aim to establish in:dependence as a category of human differentiation and develop theoretical approaches to understanding in:dependence as performance.
Publications
Together with Benjamin Wihstutz and Noa Winter, I co-edited the international anthology Out of Time? Temporality in Disability Performance (Routledge, 2023).
Foto: Stephanie Füssenich