Postcolonial Theatre

The formal end of European colonialism in various parts of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean since the 1940s has initiated a new phase in literary-cultural production that is now widely recognized as both chronologically and qualitatively “postcolonial.” For more than four decades, however, the field of postcolonial studies has been dominated by the genres of fiction, non-fiction, and theory, deflecting attention away from the genres of drama, theatre, and performance. The main objective of this course, therefore, is to consider post-independence urban drama and theatre in such locations as India, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and the Caribbean as specifically postcolonial cultural formations that “perform” (rather than merely textualize) the tensions definitive of postcolonialism. The primary materials for the course will focus on such leading postcolonial playwrights as Wole Soyinka, Derek Walcott, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Femi Osofisan, the Sistren Theatre collective, Ama Ata Aidoo, Mustapha Matura, and Girish Karnad.

For students unfamiliar with postcolonial studies, the class will provide an introduction to major theoretical issues and problems while also covering a range of significant authors. For students already familiar with postcolonial issues and interested in theatre, it will offer new perspectives on genre, language, textuality, intertextuality, sociopolitical contexts, performance, and reception.

Tentative Reading List

Wole Soyinka, A Dance of the Forests (1960)

Femi Osofisan, Morountodun (1979)

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi (1976)

Derek Walcott, Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967)

Mustapha Matura, The Coup: A Play of Revolutionary Dreams (1991)

Ama Ata Aidoo, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1964)

Sistren Theatre Collective, QPH (1981)

Aime Cesaire, A Tempest (1969)

Utpal Dutt, Mahavidroha (The Great Rebellion, Bengali, 1973/1985)

Girish Karnad, The Dreams of Tipu Sultan (1997)

Note: For ITS graduate students, this course fulfils the Literature or Theory requirement. PhD students in ITS can also develop a Prelim A paper in this course.

For more information contact Professor Dharwadker at adharwadker@wisc.edu