A Space with No Place (Straus and Ecstasy)
Frédéric Pouillaude
Oxford Scholarship Online June 22, 2017 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199314645.003.0003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key points | Argues that Straus positions dance in acoustic, smooth space, where ecstasy is achieved only in pre-formalized dances. |
Abstract
This chapter argues that Erwin Straus assigns dance very definitely to the domain of smooth space. Music is dance’s condition of possibility because it establishes the only space that could be adequate to dancing: an acoustic space, both homogeneous and nebulous, in which the directionality of praxis is obliterated. This acoustic space of dance contrasts with the optical space of directed and purposeful movement. The optical space, Straus tells us, is “historical”; the acoustic space, meanwhile, is “presentic.” Dance, as an extension of music, enables this “presentic” relation to space, which Straus calls “ecstasy” or “becoming one.” But ecstasy is only really apparent in dances “which are not yet dances” such as children’s dances, social dances, or primitive dances.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Differences Between the Mechanism of Action of MDMA, MBDB, and the Classic Hallucinogens. Identification of a New Therapeutic Class: Entactogens | 1986 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Background and Chemistry of MDMA | 1986 | Historical analysis | |
| The origin of MDMA (ecstasy) revisited: the true story reconstructed from the original documents* Original documents in Merck's historical archive in Darmstadt, Germany, years 1900–1960 | 2006 | Historical analysis | |
| Distinct neural mechanisms for the prosocial and rewarding properties of MDMA | 2019 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How could MDMA (ecstasy) help anxiety disorders? A neurobiological rationale | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |