Chris Grobe
@cgrobe.bsky.social
Theorist/historian of performance. ART OF CONFESSION (http://bit.ly/2BALZDt). Now writing on tech and the arts, politics and performance.
Gosh, it sure would be nice to have a section about books and ideas, staffed with people who actually know things about this stuff...
I want you to guess whether this article draws a single substantive connection to "19th-century philosophy."
February 8, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Gosh, it sure would be nice to have a section about books and ideas, staffed with people who actually know things about this stuff...
I want you to guess whether this article draws a single substantive connection to "19th-century philosophy."
February 8, 2026 at 9:47 PM
I want you to guess whether this article draws a single substantive connection to "19th-century philosophy."
Reposted by Chris Grobe
It’s officially pub day for “The Letter of the Law in J.E. Casely Hayford’s West Africa” with @princetonupress.bsky.social! To mark the occasion, there is a short excerpt out in The Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social: pghrev.com/the-anticolo...
The Anticolonial Thought of J. E. Casely Hayford - Pittsburgh Review of Books
From 1868 to 1874, self-determination in Cape Coast got ahead of Africa’s standard anticolonial timeline, which locates the advent of modern nation-state
pghrev.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:49 PM
It’s officially pub day for “The Letter of the Law in J.E. Casely Hayford’s West Africa” with @princetonupress.bsky.social! To mark the occasion, there is a short excerpt out in The Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social: pghrev.com/the-anticolo...
Reposted by Chris Grobe
Happy February! Now’s a great time to submit your proposals for ASAP/17!
www.artsofthepresent.org/conference/3...
www.artsofthepresent.org/conference/3...
ASAP/17: Get It Together!
Madison, WI | October 15-17, 2026
www.artsofthepresent.org
February 1, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Happy February! Now’s a great time to submit your proposals for ASAP/17!
www.artsofthepresent.org/conference/3...
www.artsofthepresent.org/conference/3...
Trump's NEH: "Bring back merit! And by 'merit' we mean, of course, our handpicked allies receiving noncompetitive awards."
January 16, 2026 at 3:45 AM
Trump's NEH: "Bring back merit! And by 'merit' we mean, of course, our handpicked allies receiving noncompetitive awards."
Look, I will die on this hill:
Podcasts are audio files distributed for free via RSS.
Videos are not podcasts. Streaming audio on subscription-based platforms is not a podcast.
Podcasts are audio files distributed for free via RSS.
Videos are not podcasts. Streaming audio on subscription-based platforms is not a podcast.
As the world burns, let's get one thing straight. A video podcast is just a TV show.
January 16, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Look, I will die on this hill:
Podcasts are audio files distributed for free via RSS.
Videos are not podcasts. Streaming audio on subscription-based platforms is not a podcast.
Podcasts are audio files distributed for free via RSS.
Videos are not podcasts. Streaming audio on subscription-based platforms is not a podcast.
Today's the day I finally start writing a part of my book I've been working myself up to for months. It's about non-academic (esp. elite liberal) theories of political performance, and it's called...
"Ezra Klein, Performance Theorist."
"Ezra Klein, Performance Theorist."
January 15, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Today's the day I finally start writing a part of my book I've been working myself up to for months. It's about non-academic (esp. elite liberal) theories of political performance, and it's called...
"Ezra Klein, Performance Theorist."
"Ezra Klein, Performance Theorist."
I did not have “Free Experimental Theater for All” on my political wishlist, but now … I might be a single-issue voter?
(The tickets being handed out here are for the Under the Radar festival)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/t...
(The tickets being handed out here are for the Under the Radar festival)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/t...
Handing Out Free Tickets, Mamdani Says Theater Should Not Be ‘a Luxury’
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:02 PM
I did not have “Free Experimental Theater for All” on my political wishlist, but now … I might be a single-issue voter?
(The tickets being handed out here are for the Under the Radar festival)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/t...
(The tickets being handed out here are for the Under the Radar festival)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/t...
I promise this is not a scholarly version of that “hatred of AI is low-key racist” take
I just published a thing I’m proud of:
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Botface | Critical Inquiry: Vol 52, No 2
Abstract Evidently, people love watching others pretend to be robots. This article uncovers hidden links between this practice and blackface performance, then theorizes the two as similarly metatheatr...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
January 8, 2026 at 11:32 PM
I promise this is not a scholarly version of that “hatred of AI is low-key racist” take
I just published a thing I’m proud of:
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Botface | Critical Inquiry: Vol 52, No 2
Abstract Evidently, people love watching others pretend to be robots. This article uncovers hidden links between this practice and blackface performance, then theorizes the two as similarly metatheatr...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
January 8, 2026 at 11:24 PM
I just published a thing I’m proud of:
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
An article called “Botface” about (1) how humans behave when impersonating robots; (2) how it derives from blackface; and (3) how it contributes to the weird racialization of robots and AI.
Please read, please share!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
I love my reading nook so much.
January 7, 2026 at 5:49 PM
I love my reading nook so much.
Five years ago today, I was slated to teach theories of play in a course called "The Performance of Politics." Instead, we sat and watched rioters storm the Capitol.
A year later, I published "The Deep, Dark Play of the US Capitol Riots." I still stand by its conclusions.
doi.org/10.1080/1352...
A year later, I published "The Deep, Dark Play of the US Capitol Riots." I still stand by its conclusions.
doi.org/10.1080/1352...
January 6, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Five years ago today, I was slated to teach theories of play in a course called "The Performance of Politics." Instead, we sat and watched rioters storm the Capitol.
A year later, I published "The Deep, Dark Play of the US Capitol Riots." I still stand by its conclusions.
doi.org/10.1080/1352...
A year later, I published "The Deep, Dark Play of the US Capitol Riots." I still stand by its conclusions.
doi.org/10.1080/1352...
Excuse me while I convene a performance studies conference entirely about this quote:
"For Kirk and for much of society today, words are not expressions with referents, but rather, performative speech acts with specific functions — in his case, owning the libs."
www.theverge.com/policy/84960...
"For Kirk and for much of society today, words are not expressions with referents, but rather, performative speech acts with specific functions — in his case, owning the libs."
www.theverge.com/policy/84960...
The year politics became brainrot
You don’t bring a persuasive argument to a gunfight.
www.theverge.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Excuse me while I convene a performance studies conference entirely about this quote:
"For Kirk and for much of society today, words are not expressions with referents, but rather, performative speech acts with specific functions — in his case, owning the libs."
www.theverge.com/policy/84960...
"For Kirk and for much of society today, words are not expressions with referents, but rather, performative speech acts with specific functions — in his case, owning the libs."
www.theverge.com/policy/84960...
This is exactly the question being prepped for debate by the characters in Emmanuelle Mattana's fascinating play TROPHY BOYS.
... you know, just in case anyone boycotting CBS wants to read some drama: playlabtheatre.com.au/web/viewer.h...
... you know, just in case anyone boycotting CBS wants to read some drama: playlabtheatre.com.au/web/viewer.h...
December 21, 2025 at 3:14 AM
This is exactly the question being prepped for debate by the characters in Emmanuelle Mattana's fascinating play TROPHY BOYS.
... you know, just in case anyone boycotting CBS wants to read some drama: playlabtheatre.com.au/web/viewer.h...
... you know, just in case anyone boycotting CBS wants to read some drama: playlabtheatre.com.au/web/viewer.h...
Reposted by Chris Grobe
We are so excited to reveal the ASAP/17 logo for our upcoming conference in Madison, WI, on Oct. 15-17! Stay tuned for the CFP!
December 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM
We are so excited to reveal the ASAP/17 logo for our upcoming conference in Madison, WI, on Oct. 15-17! Stay tuned for the CFP!
Credit where credit is due: this a thoughtful, non-doom-hype-y article on higher ed and AI. In the year of our lord 2025!
Bonus points for not mentioning a single Ivy. Colleges mentioned include: Wyoming, UCSD, Western Ontario, Vanderbilt, and Illinois State.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Bonus points for not mentioning a single Ivy. Colleges mentioned include: Wyoming, UCSD, Western Ontario, Vanderbilt, and Illinois State.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Professors are turning to this old-school method to stop AI use on exams
A small but growing number of educators are experimenting with oral exams to circumvent the temptations presented by powerful AI platforms.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Credit where credit is due: this a thoughtful, non-doom-hype-y article on higher ed and AI. In the year of our lord 2025!
Bonus points for not mentioning a single Ivy. Colleges mentioned include: Wyoming, UCSD, Western Ontario, Vanderbilt, and Illinois State.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Bonus points for not mentioning a single Ivy. Colleges mentioned include: Wyoming, UCSD, Western Ontario, Vanderbilt, and Illinois State.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Reposted by Chris Grobe
September 22, 2025 at 12:46 PM
There’s nothing strange or “hypothetical” about this notion in a theater context. The idea that self-consciousness is the enemy and that actors need to travel some via negativa to strip it away — this is the post-Romantic consensus in actor training and acting theory.
Kleist "On the Marionette Theater" hits different in the chatbot era. Thirty years ago the notion that expression might be more fluent and graceful *without* self-consciousness was just an amusing Romantic-era hypothetical. Now, it's part of our daily routine. 15orient.com/files/kleist...
July 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
There’s nothing strange or “hypothetical” about this notion in a theater context. The idea that self-consciousness is the enemy and that actors need to travel some via negativa to strip it away — this is the post-Romantic consensus in actor training and acting theory.
Submitted revisions of articles on back-to-back to days. As sports commentators would say, "He's on pace for 365 publications by July 15 of next year!"
July 17, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Submitted revisions of articles on back-to-back to days. As sports commentators would say, "He's on pace for 365 publications by July 15 of next year!"
Reposted by Chris Grobe
“Disability Works” turns 1 today! I’d like to celebrate by making sure it finds its way into the hands of even more readers. You can help by:
1) Requesting your library purchase a copy (link in bio)
2) Let me know if you assign it (I can zoom in!)
#disability #academicsky #historysky #booksky
1) Requesting your library purchase a copy (link in bio)
2) Let me know if you assign it (I can zoom in!)
#disability #academicsky #historysky #booksky
July 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
“Disability Works” turns 1 today! I’d like to celebrate by making sure it finds its way into the hands of even more readers. You can help by:
1) Requesting your library purchase a copy (link in bio)
2) Let me know if you assign it (I can zoom in!)
#disability #academicsky #historysky #booksky
1) Requesting your library purchase a copy (link in bio)
2) Let me know if you assign it (I can zoom in!)
#disability #academicsky #historysky #booksky
Article submitted: my first essay on podcasts!
June 26, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Article submitted: my first essay on podcasts!
On the dangers of making your work “relevant” to AI:
“Like LLMs themselves, which deskill human writing and pollute the corpus of text on which LLMs continue to be trained, AI-relevant research also risks eroding its own foundations in now unfundable and ‘irrelevant’ research.”
“Like LLMs themselves, which deskill human writing and pollute the corpus of text on which LLMs continue to be trained, AI-relevant research also risks eroding its own foundations in now unfundable and ‘irrelevant’ research.”
June 24, 2025 at 11:33 AM
On the dangers of making your work “relevant” to AI:
“Like LLMs themselves, which deskill human writing and pollute the corpus of text on which LLMs continue to be trained, AI-relevant research also risks eroding its own foundations in now unfundable and ‘irrelevant’ research.”
“Like LLMs themselves, which deskill human writing and pollute the corpus of text on which LLMs continue to be trained, AI-relevant research also risks eroding its own foundations in now unfundable and ‘irrelevant’ research.”
what a way to find out that AI is trained exclusively on my writing
Working with a student on her story, I recommend using an em-dash. She says she can't, because professors will think she's using AI. She says that's a tell now. Is it? Is the hopeless race to outsmart AI causing us to lose bits of language and punctuation?
June 1, 2025 at 11:50 PM
what a way to find out that AI is trained exclusively on my writing
Coming soon (but hopefully with my name spelled correctly) ... "Too Much, Too Late: On Academic Responses to Generative AI"
May 7, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Coming soon (but hopefully with my name spelled correctly) ... "Too Much, Too Late: On Academic Responses to Generative AI"