“The concept of performance burst onto the stage of anthropology through a door that the ethnography of speaking opened. Ever since, its meaning expanded, its implications deepened, and its presence in anthropology and folklore enabled insights in culture and creativity. Frank Korom’s selection represents a broad scholarly range, demonstrating its value in the analysis of historical as well as modern, oral as well as literate cultures, making us realize, all of a sudden, that it is indispensable.”
– Dan Ben-Amos, University of Pennsylvania
“The historical, regional, and ethnographic scope of this volume is breath-taking. By approaching their topic through speech, disguise, body expression, or material articulation, contributors invite a wide readership across all kinds of fields to engage with a timely topic in new, refreshing and penetrating ways. Frank Korom has edited a landmark publication that will inspire experts and interested laypersons for years to come.”
– Andre Gingrich, Austrian Academy of Sciences
“People perform who they are in the world, or who they would like to be. Humanity bursts forth from these marvelous studies as far-flung souls sing, argue, and dance their truths.”
– Allen F. Roberts, University of California, Los Angeles
From the Inside Flap
This cutting-edge volume on the major advancements in performance studies presents the theories, methods, and practices of performance in cultures around the globe. Prominent anthropologists outline the scope of performance studies across anthropology, folklore, art and religious studies, providing an invaluable guide in this exciting and growing area.
The anthology focuses on the way in which performances, broadly construed as acting aesthetically on or off stage, figure in the anthropological study of culture. Drawing on a wide range of phenomena, and employing fascinating case studies, the volume successfully demonstrates how human beings communicate with one another – both verbally and non-verbally – through the use of stylized or expressive behavior.
The Anthropology of Performance has been accessibly arranged into a number of thematic sets, and structured in a way that introduces new and advanced students to the task of studying and interpreting complex social, cultural, and political events from a performance perspective. It begins with a valuable theoretical introduction by the editor which contextualizes and frames the subsequent chapters. It is an indispensable volume in this interdisciplinary field for anthropologists, folklorists, sociologists, theatre studies specialists, and the interested general reader.
From the Back Cover
This cutting-edge volume on the major advancements in performance studies presents the theories, methods, and practices of performance in cultures around the globe. Prominent anthropologists outline the scope of performance studies across anthropology, folklore, art and religious studies, providing an invaluable guide in this exciting and growing area.
The anthology focuses on the way in which performances, broadly construed as acting aesthetically on or off stage, figure in the anthropological study of culture. Drawing on a wide range of phenomena, and employing fascinating case studies, the volume successfully demonstrates how human beings communicate with one another – both verbally and non-verbally – through the use of stylized or expressive behavior.
The Anthropology of Performance has been accessibly arranged into a number of thematic sets, and structured in a way that introduces new and advanced students to the task of studying and interpreting complex social, cultural, and political events from a performance perspective. It begins with a valuable theoretical introduction by the editor which contextualizes and frames the subsequent chapters. It is an indispensable volume in this interdisciplinary field for anthropologists, folklorists, sociologists, theatre studies specialists, and the interested general reader.
About the Author
Frank J. Korom is Professor of Religion and Anthropology at Boston University, where he teaches courses on verbal art, anthropology of religion, and cultures of South Asia. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in India, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, amongst other places. His interests range from ritual and performance studies to visual and material culture. His extensive publications include Hosay Trinidad: Muharram Performances in an Indo-Caribbean Diaspora (2003) and Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal (2006).
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