Contribution long abstract:

As a Brazilian historian researching dance in Egypt, my work explores how the intersections of positionality – between academic fields and regions of the Global South – shape the writing and production of knowledge in dance within the social sciences. In the field of History, the body is often treated as an object of study, recognized primarily when it disrupts the universalized, normative body: male, white, adult, heterosexual, and able-bodied. While research has addressed dance and in relation to historical perceptions of corporeality, it rarely considers the body as a starting point for rethinking disciplinary foundations. This neglect perpetuates a Cartesian separation of body and mind, excluding the physical dimension of existence from epistemological reflections that could transform historical inquiry. This presentation questions how bodies and corporealities are addressed across academic disciplines and considers the implications of researching dance from and about the Global South. By highlighting the coloniality embedded in academic traditions, I aim to explore how dance practices, particularly from cultures on the periphery of capitalism, could challenge dominant epistemologies and offer new perspectives on community, embodiment, and knowledge production. Ultimately, I propose a critical reevaluation of how we conceptualize dance and its meanings in global academic contexts.