الفهرس 
Performing Identity in Performance Theory:Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 32 |  |  |
| | | from | 32 | | |
Abstract
Through their work in the field of performance studies, J.L.Austin, Judith Butler, Richard
Schechner as well as a number of other philosophers have examined the manners by which
identity is passed or established through performance. Every dramatist, whether knowingly or
unknowingly, contributes to the framework of identity that is assigned to a subject. Through
applying Alan Deutschman’s paradigm for reformation, dramatists may ensure the preservation
and development of their people’s identity.
Four authors from four countries which struggled against colonialism and are rising from
the aftermath of the long years of being subjected to a culture, language, and constitution other
than their own have been chosen to examine their resistance to an identity forced upon them.
They implement performance to scrutinize an imposed identity, putting prominence to the
negative aspects of the colonial identity and highlighting the possible potential of a novel
identity that integrates the positive synthesis of both the novel and traditional identity.
The thesis examines how Ama Ata Aidoo‘s The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), Athol
Fugard‘s Lessons from Aloes ( 1981 ), Ngugi wa Thiongo‘s I Will Marry When I Want (1982),
and Wole Soyinka‘s Death of the King’s Horseman (1987 ) perform the African identity
through applying the methods of performance studies. It examines the African feminine identity
in the plays through feminine performance theory. In addition, a thorough study of the African
identity is also examined through postcolonial performance theory.Key Words: Performance Studies, Identity, African Performance.