Imaginary practices as the nexus between continuity and disruptive change

In this chapter, we seek to outline opportunities for disruptive change in large arrays of activity as a matter of central practices being embedded in and, at the same time, informed by and reflecting on imaginaries that contribute to organ- izing broadly performed practices in new ways. Specifically, we make a case for imaginary practices as key ways of creating disruptive change in large arrays of activity. We refer to “imaginary practices” as ways of continuing and organizing activity that anticipate and deliberate possible lines of action, and foreshadow responsive strategies of action that are guided by values and norms that differ from the ones organized by established habits and customs. Imagination has not played a central role in practice-theoretical accounts of change. Therefore, we elaborate our understanding of imaginary practices by inspiring accounts of practice theory with classical American pragmatism, notably John Dewey. In doing so, we argue that imaginary practices are essential in accounting for disruptive change in large arrays of activity. It is in and through imaginary practices through which actors expand the environment of situated activity and experiment with rules and principles in a playful way. As we posit, these features of imaginary practices help actors break with the continuity of current practices and, in doing so, give room for disruptive change in large arrays of activity.
We illustrate the imaginary practices in the case of the Dogma 95 movement in the Danish filmmaking industry. Dogma 95 contributed to putting Denmark on the map as film avantgarde within a short period of time and became a strong reference point for many practitioners in the industry up until today. How did actors in the Danish filmmaking industry break with the continuity of established practices? In this case, disruptive change in the practices of cinematography started with a few players who imagined a future for filmmaking that markedly differed from the practices performed in this industry at that time. Based on this observation, we illustrate how a delicate blend of locally situated and broadly shared practices is actualized and transformed through imaginative experience and activity.