Bending the Bed of Procrustes. Gogea Mitu from the Circus Stage to the Boxing Ring

Abstract

Abstract In the context of the urban landscape of entertainment in Central and Eastern Europe, staged otherness in early 20th-century Romania remains a relatively uncharted field. The following paper aims to address this issue by discussing the representation of Gogea Mitu, a circus performer turned boxer, who became famous due to his staggering height in the press. I propose a dislocation of perspective by analyzing the ‘deviant’ body not in the context of sideshow entertainment, but as it was constructed in mediated sports. By relying on structuralist and poststructuralist theories I address the negotiation of meaning associated with corporeality. The application of Foucauldian discourse analysis as a basis for the interpretation of selected newspaper articles allows for the examination of wider social power relations but also the subject position. As the reading reveals, the ‘deviant’ body of Gogea Mitu proves to be an ample surface for the refraction of normativity.