Call for Book Proposals

Peter Lang Book Series

Theatre of the Marginalised: Dalit and Adivasi Performance Traditions in South Asia

This interdisciplinary series looks at the diverse marginalised theatrical performance traditions of South Asia in an effort to develop new forms of aesthetics. To prevent them from dying out, it is imperative that various regional Dalit and Adivasi oral and folk performance traditions be documented and translated into English for their wider circulation. Since translations of Dalit and Tribal literature from South Asian languages into English have consistently received critical attention in recent years, the series will therefore have a special focus on bringing out marginalised and less visible literary/cultural texts related to various performance traditions in English translation. Moreover, it tends to explore the issues of marginality with regard to caste, class, race, ethnicity, gender and language, even if its main goal is to highlight the under-represented texts and performance traditions of South Asia. The hegemonic mindset that maintains peripheral texts and performances out of the mainstream gaze is to be critiqued by the series. With an emphasis on both theory and praxis, the series welcomes book proposals on drama, theatre, dance-drama, and folk performance traditions covering South Asian countries. While the series primarily attempts to anthologize representative Dalit and Adivasi plays in translations focusing on a particular language, community or state from various parts of South Asia, it also seeks to highlight the different Adivasi and Dalit performance traditions like Nautanki, Tamasha, Theyyam, Lalita Shabar Pala, Churia-Churianir Pala, Gajan (India), Banbibir Pala (India/Bangladesh) Palagaan (Bangladesh), Kiri Koraha (Sri Lanka), Sakela Naach (Nepal),  Layab Dance (Bhutan), and Thangyat (Myanmar). The series also intends to promote the history, legacy and works of various notable though less recognised marginalised theatre groups or organisations along with the life and significant works of a specific playwright or performer. With an emphasis on the aforementioned thematic aspects, monographs, edited scholarly books, academic textbooks and handbooks are welcome to be included in the series.

Please submit your proposals and queries to:  

Series Editor:  Dr. Shubhendu Shekhar Naskar, Assistant Professor, Department of English Literature, Language and Cultural Studies, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India.

Email: shubhendu.sapphire@gmail.com / shubhendu@mail.vidyasagar.ac.in