When We Become Many: Diversity and Collective Responsibility in Christoph Schlingensief's Chance 2000.

This article analyzes Christoph Schlingensief's Chance 2000 political party and performance during the 1998 German federal elections as a redefinition of responsibility from individualistic self-reliance to collective political agency, particularly for marginalized groups such as the unemployed and individuals with disabilities. Drawing on Judith Butler's concept of connectedness and Karen Barad's theory of agential realism and intra-action, the article argues that Chance 2000 enacted a dynamic, evolving collective whose members share responsibility through their interconnected actions, thereby challenging exclusionary boundaries in the public sphere. Schlingensief's project blurred distinctions between art and politics, performer and audience, and emphasized inclusion and diversity not through representation alone but through participatory, performative practices that fostered agency and visibility for precarious populations. Although the party did not achieve lasting political success, it modeled a fluid, collective approach to political engagement and responsibility that continues to offer insights into diversifying democratic participation and public discourse.