Book dossier

Political Performance in Syria

by Edward Ziter

Political Performance in Syria charts the history of a theatre that has sought the expansion of civil society, challenged existing Arab power structures, and imagined alternate political realities. While most of the works examined are oppositional, the book also considers the work of pro-regime artists. The chapters are thematic--'Martyrdom,' 'War,' 'Palestinians,' 'History and Heritage,' and 'Torture'--but organized to give a full overview of the organization and recent history of the Syrian stage within a larger historical context, from the outpouring of oppositional plays following Syria's defeat in the 1967 War to contemporary plays and performance activism staged in and outside of Syria and then circulated online. Placing performances in their historical context allows the reader to grasp how theatre makers have intervened in central debates in the Arab World, and to see the potential of theatre and performance to help build a vibrant civil society even in the aftermath of a bloody conflict.