From wayang shadow-puppetry in Java, to kabuki theater in Japan, to Italian opera, there is a clear connection between culture and performance. Anthropologists have long noted so-called ‘cultural performances’ are often imbued with and reflective of beliefs, values, and logics, making them invaluable tools for analyses of culture. Performance theorists have also made the distinction between cultural performances and performing culture, two separate categories though they interact in important ways. Performing culture happens everywhere and, at the risk of being cliché, is perhaps best summed up by Shakespeare who once wrote, “All the world is a stage.” But what is being performed in the everyday? Who decides what the script will say, so to speak? This course explores social scientific topics such as race, class, and gender through anthropological approaches to performance theory. The class will be a survey of cultural performances and a critical analysis of performing culture. Students will use ethnographic methods to construct projects that use performance studies as theoretical and/or methodological frameworks.
Learning Outcomes:
-A nuanced understanding of performance theory as used in social science
-Familiarity with a broad range of cultural performances from people around the world
-Experience applying performance studies frameworks to ethnographic fieldwork
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 10:00AM - 11:50AM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 2000 , All courses , Anthropology , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Updates
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