Performative Writing as Scholarship: An Apology, an Argument, an Anecdote

Abstract

The article, divided into three sections, argues for the methodological power of performative writing. Part 1 borrows from the literary tradition by offering an apology on behalf of performative writing as it links the poetic and the performative. Part 2 continues the argument by structuring its claims in the form of a logical proof. Part 3 completes the case by offering a short story of how performative writing has functioned within the academy. The essay enacts the performative writing method as it calls for its use.