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 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 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 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 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"-- 00. 9781108468565 01.0_pp_i_i_The_Performance_of_Nationalism 02.0_pp_ii_iv_Series_page 03.0_pp_v_v_The_Performance_of_Nationalism 04.0_pp_vi_vi_Copyright_page 05.0_pp_vii_vii_Contents 06.0_pp_viii_ix_Illustrations 07.0_pp_x_xii_Acknowledgments 08.0_pp_1_21_Introduction 09.0_pp_22_53_Bordering_on_drama 10.0_pp_54_85_Ghataks_cinema_and_the_discoherence_of_the_Bengal_Partition 11.0_pp_86_118_The_poetics_and_politics_of_accommodation 12.0_pp_119_153_Somatic_texts_and_the_gender_of_partition 13.0_pp_154_184_Kashmir 14.0_pp_185_188_Afterword 15.0_pp_189_227_Notes 16.0_pp_228_256_Bibliography 17.0_pp_257_260_Index Imagine the patriotic camaraderie of national day parades. How does performance generate patriotic loyalty? How crucial is performance for the sustenance of the nation? This book offers a fresh analysis of nationalism from the perspective of performance and will appeal to those with an interest in history, culture or politics.