The Anthropology of Performance

Introduction

Toward an Anthropology of Performance
Frank J. Korom

I. Performance in Prehistory and Antiquity

1. "Singing the Rug: Patterned Textiles and the Origins of Indo-European Metrical Poetry
Anthony Tuck

2. Performance and Written Literature in Classical Greece
Rosalind Thomas

II. Verbal Genres of Performance

3. Playing the Dozens
Roger A. Abrahams

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

5. Proverbs and the Ethnography of Speaking
E. O. Arewa and A. Dundes

6. Gbaya Riddles in Changing Times
P. A. Noss

7. Shadows of Song: Exploring Research and Performance Strategies in Yolngu Women's Crying Songs
Fiona Magowan

III. Ritual, Drama, and Public Spectacle

8. Prayer as Person: The Performative Force in Navajo Prayer Acts
Sam D. Gill

9. Performance and the Cultural Construction of Reality
E. L. Schieffelin

10. He Should Have Worn a Sari
Joyce Flueckiger

11. Representing History: Performing the Columbian Exposition
R. K. Bank

12. The Palio of Siena: Performance and Process
A. P. Logan

IV. Performance and Politics in the Making of Communities

13. Poetry and Politics in a Transylvanian Village
G. Kligman

14. The Matter of Talk: Political Performance in Bhatgaon
D. Brenneis

15. Celebrating Cricket: The Symbolic Construction of Caribbean Politics
F. E. Manning

16. Performing the Nation: China's Children as Little Red Pioneers
T. W. Woronov

V. Tourist Performances and the Global Ecumene

17. The Promise of Sonic Translation: Performing the Festive Sacred in Morocco
Deborah Kapchan

18. Ethnic Tourism in Hokkaido and the Shaping of Ainu Identity
Lisa Hiwasaki

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

20. Global Breakdancing and the Intercultural Body
Halifu Osumare

"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