Theatre of the oppressed and environmental justice communities: a transformational therapy for the body politic.
Community Environmental Forum Theatre at UTMB-NIEHS Center in Environmental Toxicology uses Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to promote involvement of citizens, scientists, and health professionals in deconstructing toxic exposures, risk factors, and cumulative stressors that impact the well-being of communities. The TO process encourages collective empowerment of communities by disseminating information and elaborating support networks. TO also elicits transformation and growth on a personal level via a dramaturgical system that restores spontaneity through image-making and improvisation. An NIEHS Environmental Justice Project, Communities Organized against Asthma & Lead, illustrates this interplay of personal and collective change in Houston, Texas.
Sullivan
John
J
Sealy Center for Environmental Health & Medicine/NIEHS Center in Environmental Toxicology, 301 University Blvd, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1110, USA. josulliv@utmb.edu
Petronella
Sharon
S
Brooks
Edward
E
Murillo
Maria
M
Primeau
Loree
L
Ward
Jonathan
J
D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control; D003256:Community Participation; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004777:Environment; D004782:Environmental Health; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control; D008145:Louisiana; D011057:Politics; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011577:Psychodrama; D012935:Social Justice; D013781:Texas; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
D004785:Environmental Pollutants