This collection of contemporary postcolonial plays demonstrates the extraordinary vitality of a body of work that is currently influencing the shape of contemporary world theatre. This anthology encompasses both internationally admired classics and previously unpublished texts; all dealing with imperialism and its aftermath. It includes work from Canada; the Carribean; South and West Africa; Southeast Asia; India; New Zealand and Australia. A general introduction outlines major themes in postcolonial plays. Introductions to individual plays include information on authors as well as overviews of cultural contexts; major ideas and performance history.Dramaturgical techniques in the plays draw on Western theatre as well as local performance traditions and include agit-prop dialogue; musical routines; storytelling; ritual incantation; epic narration; dance; multimedia presentation and puppetry. The plays dramatize diverse issues; such as:*globalization* political corruption* race and class relations*slavery*gender and sexuality*media representation*nationalism
#1050129 in eBooks 2013-09-13 2013-09-13File Name: B00FDR4ER0
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An informative; Readable; and Enjoyable Examination of the Rise of Artisanal LutherieBy J. BlilieI think this book stands as an excellent history and examination of the non-factory guitar making ldquo;movementrdquo; in the US. I am a small one-man operation custom acoustic guitar maker. I have known many other independent builders; including some of those described in this book. I found this book to be: Well written; interesting; and informative. I can recommend it to anyone in the business of stringed instrument building or anyone interested in acoustic guitars or guitar making. I came to this book quite skeptical about its content and feeling somewhat smug about my knowledge of the subject. I have been well won over by the book. This is a good read.The great bulk of the book is history of guitar making in the US; and even more so; interviews and examinations of individual builders; including the leaders of well-known one-person operations (e.g. Manzer; Greven); small factory-like operations (e.g. Santa Cruz; Froggy Bottom); and large factory operations (Martin; the granddaddy). Throughout; Dudley focuses on the makersrsquo; motivations and the actual methods the makers use. And also how their products fit into the economy and culture of the US and the world. I found all this fascinating and I have learned a lot from the book.Ms. Dudley is an academic anthropologist. Therefore; her task includes examining the culture under study (guitar making in the US in this case) from an academic standpoint. Fair enough. I found that these interpretations; though not of great interest to me; to be very brief and not particularly distracting. Ms. Dudley comes to the topic with a strong feminist viewpoint; and this shows in her analysis. This does not seem like any sort of a problem to me. It did not detract significantly from what is; in my opinion; an excellent and thorough examination of a unique cultural period and phenomenon: The rise of independent; artisanal guitar makers. Contrary to some critics here; I do not find Dudleyrsquo;s remarks about womenrsquo;s and menrsquo;s roles in both society and guitar making to be off-putting. In general; I find them to be accurate; if sometimes couched in rather impenetrable academic prose.My only complaint about the book is the presence of occasional passages of post-modernist academic prose that seems; to me; to say nothing (while using the most important sounding words and style as possible).Here is an example (Introduction; p. 9; I have no idea what this means*; and such thoughts/motivations certainly have never entered my head while guitar building or designing or playing ndash; or at any other time):ldquo;Central to luthierrsquo;s project is a conception of animacy that predisposes them to interact with physical phenomena beyond the limits of playful inquiry and experiential knowledge. In this orientation to wood; the unpredictable acoustics of vibrating soundboards become not a bane to be suppressed but a host of nonhuman agents to be coaxed into harmonious and spirited collaboration.rdquo;Thankfully; these are rare. (Make sure you get past the Prologue and Introduction! Itrsquo;s well worth it!) Sometimes (almost all of the time?) a guitar is just a guitar. As noted; this is a good read.(* I have an engineering degree; graduated with honors from a major university; I scored 99th percentile in reading in both pre- and post-graduate testing. I can read very well.)0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ... at just the right time and is just the perfect thing for where youre at in your life and ...By Dean LuceOne of those books that comes along at just the right time and is just the perfect thing for where youre at in your life and what youre dreaming about.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Must read for fans of the acoustic guitar!By Alan HahnI found the book to be a wonderful treatise on individual guitar makers; guitar companies (big and small) and how they survived (or not) to the present day. There is something magical about a well built guitar and this book gives a look behind the curtain to reveal the different approaches to building one. The author did a great job in researching this subject. Any who dreams to having a custom built and/or high end guitar needs to read this book.