French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Singh. Staging Feminisms. Gender, Violence and Performance in Contemporary India
Theatre and Performance

Staging Feminisms
Gender, Violence and Performance in Contemporary India

Anita Singh

ISBN 9780367896331

Routledge India

204 Pages

£27.99

PRESENTATION

This book questions how feminist beliefs are enacted within an artistic context. It critically examines the intersection of violence, gender, performance and power through contemporary interventionist performances. The volume explores a host of key themes like feminism and folk epic, community theatre, performance as radical cultural intervention, volatile bodies and celebratory protests. Through analyzing performances of theatre stalwarts like Usha Ganguly, Maya Krishna Rao, Sanjoy Ganguly, Shilpi Marwaha and Teejan Bai, the volume discusses the complexities and contradictions of a feminist reading of contemporary performances.

A major intervention in the field of feminism and performance, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of gender studies, performance studies, theatre studies, women’s studies, cultural studies, sociology of gender and literature.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction 2. Feminism and Folk Epic: Draupadi, Dharma, Performance, and Protest in Teejan Bai’s Pandavani episodes “Draupadi Vastraharan” and “Dushasan Vadh.” 3. Community Theatre: Performance as Radical Cultural Intervention in Sanjoy Ganguly’s “Sarama” and Shilpi Marwaha’s “Dastak.” 4. Urban Proscenium Stage: Volatile Bodies, Celebratory Protests in Maya Krishna Rao’s “Walk” and Usha Ganguli’s “Hum Mukhatara.” 5. Conclusion

Performance art and theatre have long served as mediums for addressing social inequalities and political friction within South Asian cultural landscapes. This study examines how artistic practices intersect with activist agendas, focusing on the ways contemporary practitioners bring gender politics onto the stage. By looking at specific theatrical forms and public interventions, the work engages with ongoing discussions surrounding bodily autonomy, representation, and the socio-political pressures faced by women in modern public spheres.

Readers interested in contemporary theatre, performance studies, and gender politics in South Asia may find this volume relevant to their research. The book questions how feminist beliefs are enacted within an artistic context and critically examines the intersection of violence, gender, performance, and power through contemporary interventionist performances discussed across its chapters.