DRA273
Culture, Power and Performance
Level 5 (15 credits)
This module examines the power relations of theatre and performance, focusing on how artists engage with the politics of representation and identity formation. The module builds on the introduction to the semiotics and histories of theatre from your first year, while developing your skills in performance analysis and research. Discussions and readings will draw from key academic and political debates, which could include queer theory, post-colonial studies, critical race theory, feminism, disability studies, Marxism, etc. Through study of a wide range of play texts and performance traditions, you will examine how formal and aesthetic innovations in theatre relate to the social and economic conditions from which they emerge.
Preparing for this Module and Approximate Costs
Preparation for this first class is very light. There is just one short required reading, the chapter "Art for Art's Sake" from Lola Olufemi's new book Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power. This
chapter tackles a number of the module themes about power and art as
they relate to race, class, gender and disability. The introductory
lecture will review some of Olufemi's argument. There are also a couple secondary readings, which we recommend you read before or after class.
Read:
- Lola Olufemi, "Art for Art's Sake," in Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power (London: Pluto Press, 2020), 82-94.
Preparation Questions:
As you read the article from Olufemi, try to answer these questions:
Recommended Reading:
- bell hooks, ‘Performance practice as a site of opposition,’ in Lets
Get it On: The politics of black performance (London: ICA, 1995), pp.
210-211.
- Judith Butler, "Merely
Cultural," New Left Review
227 (1998). Available
online here.
- Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: An Introduction Volume One (London: Penguin, 1990), pp. 92-8.
- Nancy Fraser, "Rethinking Recognition," in Fortunes of Feminism (London: Verso, 2013), 107-110.
No additional costs are anticipated for this module.
Why take Culture, Power and Performance?
- Core module for Drama single honours students
- We explore how theatre and performance engages with urgent social and political ideas
Learning Context |
Seminar-based |
Semester |
One |
Assessment |
- Essay (1500 words), 40%
- Essay (2000 words), 60%
|
Mode of reassessment |
Standard |
Contact |
Nicholas Ridout |
There is some content covered on the programme that you may find challenging and sensitive. We do not issue content notes for individual texts (written, performance, visual, sonic etc.), but please do contact your module tutor and/or convenor and/or adviser if you have concerns or problems relating any of the content, themes or discussions.