Members Member News Member News Archive
|
Theatrical Grammars of Diversity and Difference: ASTR Online
The presidency of Barack Obama has certainly not borne out early claims that the U.S. had arrived at a “post-race” moment with his election, yet critical discourse around the concept of “post-identity” politics within the academy has persisted post-1990s despite continuing underrepresentation of minority faculty and students within higher education. Furthermore, language around diversity, difference and multiculturalism may indeed now be encoded in the missions and agendas of many colleges and universities, but the policies and rhetoric may rarely reflect the realities of our students and colleagues’ lived experiences.
Therefore, what role does the language of identity, diversity and difference currently play in the field of theatre research and education as pedagogical and scholarly practice? How does this language frame the theoretical and material economies of curriculum changes, job postings, conferences, calls for publications and classroom instruction? How does it affect our student recruitment, department programming and scholarly agendas in this unstable economic environment that has brought new challenges for the survival of the humanities as a whole?
For the winter issue, ASTR Online asks for reflections on the languages of diversity and difference within the profession as a whole.
Some questions to consider:
What problems do the words "diverse," “difference,” "multicultural" or “intercultural” and related terms introduce, and are these productive for consideration within academic theatre departments? Do they serve merely as a code for "non-white/male/hetero?" What other valences have these words acquired to interrogate or trouble the white/Other, hetero/queer, male/gender-flexible binaries? Do the multiple meanings and usages of these words ripple out from the practical sphere of commercial or regional theatre? Or from theoretical scholarship? Or from both?
How do academic theatre and performance departments work to encourage, solicit, and produce diverse performances in terms of plays, dance, performance art, etc.? Does this reverberate back into the curriculum and/or training options for undergraduate and graduate students within these same departments? What are some challenges in framing and implementing a "diverse" or "multicultural" theatre and performance curriculum for undergraduates?
What role does regional or national location play in our ability to engage with these issues in our individual institutional contexts? How do economic factors such as the rate of tuition and fees, available scholarship and financial aid or the size of the college or university’s operating budget play into our ability to recruit and maintain students and faculty of color? How have theatre departments in particular negotiated these challenges and what possibilities or limitations does the working environment of the theatre department provide for thinking through these issues in a larger university context?
Notes and Guidelines
Submission Guidelines
Please email your abstract submission to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with “February CFP submission” in the subject line.
We are looking for authors to take a personal, more editorial tone with these articles. For examples to help guide your abstract writing, please refer to the current Featured Articles on the site.
Abstracts are due January 20. Special Note Logistics
After authors send in their first draft, the editorial team will comment and suggest revisions, until the essay achieves an optimal state for online viewing and the intended audience.
Chicago style is preferred. If any endnotes are included, please keep them to a minimum.
Once all content is final, it will be posted on ASTR Online. Contact |