Subproject A06

Paths of Passion: Metaphorical Acts in Religious Scenologies and Processes of Their Cultural Appropriation

Subproject A06 investigates how religious metaphors travel across cultures and acquire new meanings in processes of artistic and intellectual exchange. Focusing on Christian Passion Plays and the Shiʿite ritual theatre tradition of Taʿziyeh, the project explores how ideas of suffering, sacrifice, and the sacred are expressed through movement, space, and performance.

A central question is how the Christian concept of the Passion as a “path of suffering,” embodied in practices such as the Way of the Cross and Passion Plays, shaped Western interpretations of other religious traditions. The project examines how European artists, theatre practitioners, and intellectuals since the 1960s have engaged with Taʿziyeh, often interpreting it through concepts and spatial metaphors derived from Christian traditions. In doing so, it investigates processes of cultural transfer, reinterpretation, and appropriation.

Combining approaches from metaphor research and performance studies, A06 pays particular attention to bodily practices, spatial arrangements, and theatrical scenologies as metaphorical acts through which religious meaning is performed and experienced. By examining how metaphors emerge in non-linguistic contexts and shape encounters between religious traditions, the project contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of performance in the creation, transformation, and negotiation of religious meaning across cultural boundaries.