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Summary
Negotiation Theater is an innovative pedagogical method that facilitates democratic dialogue through immersive role-playing and scenario-based simulations. The goal of Negotiation Theater is not to find a definite conclusion, but to create a space for communication that fosters mutual trust among all participants. It is a simulation that takes a multiperspective approach, including the viewpoints of government officials and affected people as well as a unique non-human perspective, like affected land and materials. It emphasizes empathy and understanding toward differing perspectives and role-based conflicts.
What Is Negotiation Theater?
Negotiation Theater is an innovative pedagogical method that integrates artistic performance with social science research. Its core context traces back to an initiative launched by the French scholar Bruno Latour in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21). Spearheaded by Sciences Po, the project brought together students from around the world at the Nanterre-Amandiers theater to participate in a simulation of COP21, aiming to identify potential strategies and breakthroughs for the deadlocks in real-world negotiations.
Through the lens of STS (Science and technology studies), Negotiation Theater serves as a "pre-enactment". It opens the black box of socio-technical controversies, immersing students in highly uncertain scenarios to act as stakeholders. In this space, participants must not only master the art of diplomatic negotiation but also practice the human and non-human roles. By blending rational deliberation with emotional resonance, negotiation theater reopens the imagination and possibilities for future pathways.
Negotiation Theater creates a space where complex and challenging public issues have the potential for dialogue and where momentum can be discussed, using persona cards, evidence-based scenarios, and mock documents to translate policy discourse and local context into the roles of humans and non-human actors.
Why conduct negotiation theater? The Limits of the Public Hearing
In Taiwan, whenever controversial public policies arise, the typical response is to hold public briefings or hearings. The problem is not an absence of dialogue, but this structural framework easily reduces complex issues into binary oppositions. Recognizing these issues and observing that civil society needs more opportunities to practice deliberating on issues, CIDS has brought negotiation theater for simulations and exercises. This approach aims to broaden participants' imagination of public engagement, cultivate empathy and perspective-taking through role-playing, and unlock new insights and possibilities for understanding and discussing these issues. This dynamic can be further illustrated through the following case of the 2020 Taipei Biennial exhibition.
NT meets CIDs: The 2020 Taipei Biennial exhibition: “You and I Don't Live on the Same Planet”
Building upon the 2018 Biennial theme “Post Nature,” which explored human-ecological coexistence and interdependence, the 2020 Biennial incorporates geopolitical and geological historical discussions. Through theatrical performances, it presents diverse perspectives on various environmental issues.
Bruno Latour collaborated with the Taiwan STS Association to co-curate this project, inviting professors, undergraduates, and graduate students to participate in the deliberative theater performance.
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum Biennial provides an ideal experimental platform for such performances. By integrating educational practice within a public dialogue system, it disseminates knowledge and experiences to transform issue discussions, introducing participatory decision-making mechanisms into real-world scenarios.
How Does It Work?
The implementation of Negotiation Theater is divided into two main stages: Conceptual Design and Implementation.
Phase 1:Conceptual Design & Scoping
Before the Negotiation Theater begins, organizers must complete a thorough data mapping process to establish the event's preconditions. Every role must be anchored in an evidence-based background, and identifying the socio-technical controversies or the specific focus.
- Issue scoping: What is the key question? What real-world controversy does this negotiation theater seek to address? What are the boundaries of the discussion? A clear issue frame helps everyone stay on track and gives each role meaningful stakes.
- Stakeholder recognized: Who is affected by this issue? What are the different characters' positions, fears, and hopes? Mapping stakeholders is the first step in designing roles and ensuring that the theater authentically reflects real-world tensions.
Phase 2: Implementation & Performance
The Implementation of Negotiation Theater transforms static research into a dynamic performance through three progressive steps:
Step 1 — Topic Setting & Knowledge Translation
Based on the initial data mapping and issue scoping, organizers translate raw information into a framework. This involves designing thematic scenarios, the sequence of events, and the specific physical settings for the performance. To ensure every character is grounded in reality, roles and their underlying interests are constructed, and every dialogue unfolds within an evidence-based background. Through briefings, expert sharing, and translated policy materials, organizers provide participants with a structured framework.
Step 2 — Role Creation and Scenario Arrangement
Drawing on the issue scoping and stakeholder analysis, a concrete context is designed to enable participants to inhabit their roles and engage in meaningful negotiation interactions. Scenarios are designed so participants can feel the difficulty of real decision-making, where everyone has their own positions and perspectives.
Influences & Educational Vision
In the case of "The Pending Future of Nuclear Waste," students moved beyond human-centric debate to embody the roles of spent fuel rods or the land of the North Coast. By taking on these roles, participants were forced to reflect on these issues and know the "entangled reality" of actual stakeholders. Negotiation Theater transcends traditional education. It does not aim to provide a final, sterile answer, but to open a space where diverse voices, human and non-human, can be heard.
Reference
For more details, refer to the link below:
How do I use "Negotiation Theater"? How do I conduct it?
Nanterre-Amandiers. (2015). Le Théâtre des négociations — MAKE IT WORK. https://nanterre-amandiers.com/en/evenement/le-theatre-des-negociations/
