| Abstract: | "Covering nearly 225 years, this volume would try to capture a broad spectrum of the situation of women performers from Gerasim Lebedeff's time (1795), who are considered to be the first performers in modern Bengali theatre, to our time. The moot question is whether the role of women as performers evolved down the centuries. Whether this question will lead us to their subjugation to their male counterparts, producers and directors have been explored here to give readers an understanding of when, where, by whom the politics began, and, by tracing the footprints, we have tried to understand if the politics has changed, or remains unchanged, or metamorphosed with regard to the woman's question in the performance discourse. We have explored, in this regard, how her body, mind, and sexuality interacted with and negotiated the phallocentric hierarchy. We have also tried to examine the transformation of male dominance that has forced their women counterparts to undergo repression in ever-changing garb. What we can say is that with changing times the pattern of exploitation has become 'artistic', 'humane', 'tolerable', and essentially 'intellectual'. There is a fair amount of hypocrisy and inconsistency, which has been going on since the colonial period. Amid such treacherous terrain, it is indeed a challenging task for women to assert their agency and rights as cultural purveyors and workers/experts. The chapters included are on (i) Baiji/Tawaif culture in eastern and western Bengal; (ii) prostitute/'fallen' women/patita, beshya performers; (iii) IPTA and the Naxalbari movement; (iv) group and commercial/professional theatre of Kolkata; (v) women's position in the theatre of Bangladesh; (vi) Cabaret (with an interview with Miss Shefali); (vii) Jatra; and (viii) Baul tradition. (ix) Besides, there are chapters on English, Anglo-Indian, Jew, Nachni performers and the illustrious dancer Amala Shankar, and film-music-dance in general"-- |
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Andere Auflagen/Ausgaben
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