An Anthropological Approach to Aesthetic Drama from Social Drama Theory: Mirror Neurons

Abstract

In this article It is investigated interaction between social drama theory and aesthetic drama. The social drama theory explored by Victor Turner, is an antropolog clarifies the life style of societies. According to this identification social dramas focus on the liminal spaces at the transformation points of life. When there is an extraordinary event that threats their daily routine of societies lifestyle there occurs a crisis. If this crisis is not prevented, It will get deepen so a conflict will arise. However, the only way to solve this crisis is redress mechanisms, which is called the ritual. Whereas there is ritual in social dramas, there is play/show in aeshetic dramas. At that point, there is a strong analogy between social and aesthetic drama. Both of redressive mechanish occur in the conflict process. In the play, many solutions are sought to end conflict. This effort to end the conflict is a chance for spectators to rethink the issue that caused crisis. Society takes their problems into consideration and finds solutions for their porblems through the play that they watch so a transitive relationship is established between social drama and aesthetic drama. The scientific explanation of this relationship, that enables the development of societies in their social relations, is based on the existence of mirror neuron cells, discovered in the human brain. Besides mirror neuron cells have an important role keeping and developing knowledge. As a result, explaining the interaction between social dramas and aesthetic drama with the existence of mirror neuron cells sheds light on understanding the relationship between art and life in a scientific context.