Professing Performance: Theatre in the Academy from Philology to Performativity (Theatre and Performance Theory)

Contemporary academic discourse is filled with the word "perform". Nestled among a variety of prefixes and suffixes (re-, post-, -ance, -ivity?), the term functions as a vehicle for a host of inquiries. This development is intriguing and complex for students, artists, and scholars of performance and theater. By examining the history of theater studies and related institutions and comparing the very different disciplinary interpretations and developments that led to this engagement, this study offers ways of placing performance theory and performance studies in context. "Today's academic discourse is filled with the word "perform." Nestled amongst a variety of prefixes and suffixes (re-, post-, -ance, -ivity?), the term functions as a vehicle for a host of contemporary inquiries. For students, artists, and scholars of performance and theatre, this development is intriguing and complex. By examining the history of theatre studies and related institutions and by comparing the very different disciplinary interpretations and developments that led to this engagement, Professing Performance offers ways of placing performance theory and performance studies in context. Shannon Jackson considers the connection amongst a range of performance forms. Throughout, she explores the institutional history of performance in the US academy in order to revise current debates around the role of the arts and humanities in higher education."--Jacket This 2004 book shows the relationship between past institutional histories and tradition and current scholarly and artistic practices in performance

Shows the relationship between past institutional histories and tradition and current scholarly and artistic practices in performance.