Singing in the Dark Times

Singing in the Dark Times is a compilation of scholarly chapters by 21 authors of global reputation in the arts therapies.

This publication brings together selected works from the 17th ECArTE conference, which took place in 2024 in Ghent, Belgium. It explores the tensions between inner psychotherapeutic processes and the pursuit of wellbeing and social change. Inspired by Stéphane Hessel’s call to “create to resist and resist to create,” it highlights creativity as a form of active resistance and dignity. The contributions reflect diverse, original responses from international practitioners and scholars. Drawing on the line from Brecht’s poem “Motto” (1939), “Singing about the Dark Times,” the publication emphasizes the role of the arts in enabling transformation. Ultimately, it presents the arts and arts therapies as a powerful space for critical reflection, collaboration, change and hope. Contributors from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Lebanon, Serbia and the United Kingdom come together in this volume to create a challenging and contemporary publication. Their work reflects a range of perspectives and current approaches across several fields, including theatre practice, the philosophy of art, art therapy, dance movement therapy, dramatherapy and music therapy, offering a rich and diverse exploration of theory and practice.

This book is designed to engage and benefit not only practitioners within the arts therapies community but also a wider audience. It will be particularly valuable for students and professionals working in psychology, sociology, psychotherapy, the arts, medicine, arts and health and education, providing insights that connect theory, practice and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 International license

Marián López Fdz. Cao is an Art Therapist and Professor of Art Education and Art Therapy at the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. She teaches and lectures in Spain and internationally. Founder director of the Arts Therapy Masters’ programme at University Complutense of Madrid, and former director of the PhD programme on Art, Art Therapy and Social Inclusion, she has coordinated several Latin American university programmes.

Richard Hougham is Principal Lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, where he is course leader for the MA Drama and Movement Therapy programme. His research investigates storytelling in the teaching and practice of dramatherapy. He is Chair of the Executive Board of the European Consortium for Arts Therapies Education (ECArTE) and has a particular interest in intercultural dialogues and epistemology in the international teaching of arts therapies.

Sarah Scoble is Honorary President of ECArTE. She was a long-term member of the Executive Board of ECArTE and served as Chair for eight years. Founder trainer in southwest UK in Dramatherapy and former director of Masters in Dramatherapy programmes, University of Exeter, she is Series Editor with Diane Waller for the International Research in the Arts Therapies publication with Routledge, in association with ECArTE and the International Centre for Research in Arts Therapies (ICRA).