DTS Seminar Series: Will Peterson
17 March 2008
The Bloodless Head of Longinus: Political Interventions and the Decapitation of the Moriones Tradition in Marinduque
Dr Will Peterson (Monash)
This seminar presentation maps out the political interventions and competing social interests that have altered the Moriones Festival on the island of Marinduque in the Philippines over the last forty years. The three-night sinakulo or passion play and attendant events associated with the festival are known largely for the ways in which they utilise local men donning elaborate masks and wearing costumes meant to resemble Roman centurions. This talk will examine the social forces and multiple and competing political and economic interventions that have shaped and significantly modified this multi-faceted event since the 1960s, with particular attention given to the ways in which the local elite through the power of the provincial government under Governor Carmencita Reyes has used this festival to effectively shore up the country’s existing, highly stratified social and economic order.
Video of this presentation was recorded on Monday 17th March 2008 at the Centre for Drama & Theatre Studies:
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