Travelling Theory-Fiction. A Romanian Case Study
Travelling Theory-Fiction. A Romanian Case Study

Summary/Abstract: This paper discusses the import of “theory-fiction” in contemporary Romanian culture, by analysing the textual and artistic output of the performance artists Alina Popa and Florin Flueraș. The first part introduces the key methodological concepts used in the text, such as Edward Said’s notion of “travelling theory”, and some considerations regarding “theory-fiction”, which is a hybrid discourse at the intersection of theory and fiction. I begin the paper by offering some background information about the works of the two above-mentioned artists. Then, I examine some of the most important texts and performances by Popa and Flueraș in light of an essential mechanism deployed by “theory-fiction”, namely “hyperstition”. Lastly, I return to Said’s concept of “travelling theory” and attempt to expand it by proposing a new notion, that of “travelling theory-fiction” based on Popa and Flueraș’s case. This latter term considers both the intermedial nature of the artists’ usage of “theory-fiction” and the autochthonous socio-cultural context in which they introduce this discourse.

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