The Performance of Nationalism: India, Pakistan, and the Memory of Partition (Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre)

Imagine the patriotic camaraderie of national day parades. How crucial is performance for the sustenance of the nation? The Performance of Nationalism considers the formation of the Indian and Pakistani nation, in the wake of the most violent chapter of its history: the partition of the subcontinent. In the process, Jisha Menon offers a fresh analysis of nationalism from the perspective of performance. Menon recuperates the manifold valences of "mimesis" as aesthetic representation, as the constitution of a community of witnesses, and as the mimetic relationality that underlies the encounter between India and Pakistan. The particular performances considered here range from Wagah border ceremonies, to the partition theatre of Asghar Wajahat, Kirti Jain, M. K. Raina, and the cinema of Ritwik Ghatak and M. S. Sathyu. By pointing to the tropes of twins, doubles, and doppelgangers that suffuse these performances, this study troubles the idea of two insular, autonomous nation-states of India and Pakistan. In the process, Menon recovers mimetic modes of thinking that unsettle the reified categories of identity politics. Imagine the patriotic camaraderie of national day parades. How crucial is performance for the sustenance of the nation? The Performance of Nationalism considers the formation of the Indian and Pakistani nation, in the wake of the most violent chapter of its history: the partition of the subcontinent. In the process, Jisha Menon offers a fresh analysis of nationalism from the perspective of performance. Menon recuperates the manifold valences of'mimesis'as aesthetic representation, as the constitution of a community of witnesses, and as the mimetic relationality that underlies the encounter between India and Pakistan. The particular performances considered here range from Wagah border ceremonies to the partition theatre of Asghar Wajahat, Kirti Jain, M. K. Raina, and the cinema of Ritwik Ghatak and M. S. Sathyu. By pointing to the tropes of twins, doubles, and doppelgängers that suffuse these performances, this study troubles the idea of two insular, autonomous nation-states of India and Pakistan. In the process, Menon recovers mimetic modes of thinking that unsettle the reified categories of identity politics. "Imagine the patriotic camaraderie of national day parades. How does performance generate patriotic loyalty? How crucial is performance for the sustenance of the nation? The Performance of Nationalism offers a new analysis of nationalism from the perspective of performance, focusing on the manifold valences of 'mimesis': as aesthetic representation, as the constitution of a community of witnesses and as the mimetic relationality that underlies the encounter between India and Pakistan. The particular performances considered here range from Wagah border ceremonies, to the partition theatre of Asghar Wajahat, Kirti Jain, M.K. Raina and the cinema of Ritwick Ghatak and M.S. Sathyu. By pointing to the tropes of twins, doubles and doppelgangers that suffuse these performances, this study unpicks the idea of two insular, autonomous nation-states of India and Pakistan. In the process, Jisha Menon recovers mimetic modes of thinking that unsettle the reified categories of identity politics"-- Provided by publisher "Imagine the patriotic camaraderie of national day parades. How does performance generate patriotic loyalty? How crucial is performance for the sustenance of the nation? The Performance of Nationalism offers a new analysis of nationalism from the perspective of performance, focusing on the manifold valences of 'mimesis': as aesthetic representation, as the constitution of a community of witnesses and as the mimetic relationality that underlies the encounter between India and Pakistan. The particular performances considered here range from Wagah border ceremonies, to the partition theatre of Asghar Wajahat, Kirti Jain, M. K. Raina and the cinema of Ritwick Ghatak and M. S. Sathyu. By pointing to the tropes of twins, doubles and doppelgangers that suffuse these performances, this study unpicks the idea of two insular, autonomous nation-states of India and Pakistan. In the process, Jisha Menon recovers mimetic modes of thinking that unsettle the reified categories of identity politics"-- Frontmatter......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 11 1 Introduction......Page 14 2 Bordering on drama: the performance of politics and the politics of performance......Page 35 3 Ghatak’s cinema and the discoherence of the Bengal Partition......Page 67 4 The poetics and politics of accommodation......Page 99 5 Somatic texts and the gender of partition......Page 132 6 Kashmir: hospitality and the “unfinished business” of partition......Page 167 7 Afterword......Page 198 Notes......Page 202 Bibliography......Page 241 Index......Page 270