The Anthropology of Performance

Acknowledgments to Sources vii

The Anthropology of Performance: An Introduction 1

Frank J. Korom

Part I Performance in Prehistory and Antiquity 9

1 Singing the Rug: Patterned Textiles and the Origins of
Indo-European Metrical Poetry 11

Anthony Tuck

2 Performance and Written Literature in Classical Greece:
Envisaging Performance from Written Literature and Comparative
Contexts 26

Rosalind Thomas

Part II Verbal Genres of Performance 37

3 Playing the Dozens 39

Roger D. Abrahams

4 The La Have Island General Store: Sociability and Verbal Art
in a Nova Scotia Community 49

Richard Bauman

5 Proverbs and the Ethnography of Speaking Folklore 61

E. Ojo Arewa and Alan Dundes

6 Gbaya Riddles in Changing Times 73

Philip A. Noss

7 Shadows of Song: Exploring Research and Performance Strategies
in Yolngu Women's Crying-Songs 80

Fiona Magowan

Part III Ritual, Drama, and Public Spectacle 95

8 Prayer as Person: The Performative Force in Navajo Prayer Acts
97

Sam D. Gill

9 Performance and the Cultural Construction of Reality 107

Edward L. Schieffelin

10 "He Should Have Worn a Sari": A
"Failed" Performance of a Central Indian Oral Epic
124

Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger

11 Representing History: Performing the Columbian Exposition
133

Rosemarie K. Bank

12 The Palio of Siena: Performance and Process 150

Alice Pomponio Logan

Part IV Performance and Politics in the Making of Communities
165

13 Poetry and Politics in a Transylvanian Village 167

Gail Kligman

14 The Matter of Talk: Political Performances in Bhatgaon
174

Donald Brenneis

15 Celebrating Cricket: The Symbolic Construction of Caribbean
Politics 183

Frank E. Manning

16 Performing the Nation: China's Children as Little Red
Pioneers 199

T.E. Woronov

Part V Tourist Performances and the Global Ecumene
215

17 The Promise of Sonic Translation: Performing the Festive
Sacred in Morocco 217

Deborah A. Kapchan

18 Ethnic Tourism in Hokkaido^ and the Shaping of Ainu
Identity 234

Lisa Hiwasaki

19 What They Came With: Carnival and the Persistence of African
Performance Aesthetics in the Diaspora 250

Esiaba Irobi

20 Global Breakdancing and the Intercultural Body 260

Halifu Osumare

Further Readings 273

Index 287

"This volume is a comprehensive and well-structured compilation of previously published essays, articulating how anthropology has explored diverse instances of performance . . This book will be of great use to graduate students looking to specialize in the field, or faculty members who wish to deepen their understanding of established concepts and perhaps recast their own work." (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 1 June 2015)



"The concept of performance burst onto the stage of
anthropology through a door that the ethnography of speaking
opened. Ever since, its meaning expanded, its implications
deepened, and its presence in anthropology and folklore enabled
insights in culture and creativity. Frank Korom's selection
represents a broad scholarly range, demonstrating its value in the
analysis of historical as well as modern, oral as well as literate
cultures, making us realize, all of a sudden, that it is
indispensable."

- Dan Ben-Amos, University of Pennsylvania

"The historical, regional, and ethnographic scope of this
volume is breath-taking. By approaching their topic through speech,
disguise, body expression, or material articulation, contributors
invite a wide readership across all kinds of fields to engage with
a timely topic in new, refreshing and penetrating ways. Frank Korom
has edited a landmark publication that will inspire experts and
interested laypersons for years to come."

- Andre Gingrich, Austrian Academy of Sciences

"People perform who they are in the world, or who they
would like to be. Humanity bursts forth from these marvelous
studies as far-flung souls sing, argue, and dance their
truths."

- Allen F. Roberts, University of California, Los
Angeles

Frank J. Korom is Professor of Religion and Anthropology at Boston University, where he teaches courses on verbal art, anthropology of religion, and cultures of South Asia. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in India, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, amongst other places. His interests range from ritual and performance studies to visual and material culture. His extensive publications include Hosay Trinidad: Muharram Performances in an Indo-Caribbean Diaspora (2003) and Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal (2006).

F. J. Korom, Boston University, USA