Call For Book Chapters

Marginal Voices on Stage: Documenting Dalit and Tribal Performance Traditions in South Asia

Editors:

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

Dr. Auritra Munshi, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Raiganj University, West Bengal

Concept Note:

In the ever-evolving world of South Asian performance, there exists a deep well of rich, diverse, and transformative traditions that have been historically and systematically overlooked. Dalit and Tribal performances, although deeply rooted in the socio-political and cultural heritage of the region, remain marginalised in both academic scholarship and mainstream discourse. These performances often enacted in remote villages, local festivals, and urban spaces by Dalit and Indigenous communities, represent far more than mere entertainment. They are the living, breathing embodiment of ancestral history, identity, resistance, and the resilience of communities that have faced centuries of displacement, cultural erasure, and systemic oppression. The historical marginalisation of these peripheral communities, intensified by both the external and internal forces that plundered their lands and belongings and repressed their human rights, left an indelible mark on their social position within the larger socio-cultural fabric of South Asia. Yet, despite these adversities, Tribal communities have preserved their ancestral cultural moorings through their performance traditions, which serve not only as forms of entertainment but as powerful acts of resistance and survival. In a similar way, Dalit plays and their performances, countering the unjust methodical oppression of the hegemonic caste system, are imbued with the essence of resistance, revolt and rejection.

The proposed edited volume seeks to fill the critical gap in the study of literature and Performance Studies by bringing attention to these lesser-discussed performance traditions. Through documentation and critical engagement with a variety of Dalit and Tribal performance forms, this volume will contribute to the ongoing project of preserving and understanding these cultural treasures, which continue to carry forward the lived experiences of marginalised communities.

The primary aim of this volume is to underscore the urgent need for proper documentation of Dalit and Tribal performances, especially those performed by Indigenous communities within South Asia and its diaspora. Through these performances, the Dalit and Tribal communities not only preserve their own stories of exploitations and cultural practices but also challenge the master narratives imposed upon them by various dominant groups. By focusing on a range of performance traditions, this volume seeks to critically examine how these performances serve as acts of cultural defiance, agency, and empowerment. The volume will provide an in-depth exploration of a variety of lesser-known performance traditions such as Nautanki, Dindi, Tamasha, Satyashodhak Jalsas, Ambedkari Jalsas, Theyyam, Jatra, Gajan, Lalita Shabar Pala, Churiya-Churianir Pala, Gajan, Banbibir Pala, Palagaan, Kiri Koraha, Sakela Naach, Layab Dance and Thangyat that have been vital in the cultural expression of Dalit and Tribal communities. These forms range across different regions, languages, and social structures and reflect the incredible diversity of performance practices across South Asia. The contributions in this edited volume will explore how these performance traditions continue to provide alternative ways of existing in the world, offering a counterpoint to the dominant, hegemonic narratives that have sought to erase these communities or drive them to the margins. By documenting their performances, the volume aims to amplify the voices of the Dalit and Tribal people and create a space for their cultural expressions in the broader realm of theatre studies, cultural anthropology, and performance theory.

The sub-themes of the thrust area may include but are not limited to the following:

• Cultural and Ritual Contexts of Performance
• Performance and Protest
• Marginal Voices in Theatre
• Performance as Resistance and Political Agency
• Performance and Alternative Aesthetics
• Ethnographic Documentation of Performance Forms
• Gender and Performance
• Cultural Transmission and Intergenerational Practices
• Reframing Folklore and Readaptation of Myths
• Diasporic Adaptations of Folk Tradition
• Social media and Performance Revitalization
• Ecological Narratives in Folk Performances
• Performance and Memory
• Impact of Urbanization and Globalization on Performance Tradition
• Translation and Marginal Performance Texts
• Performance and the Process of Decolonization
• Reconstruction of History through Performance

[N.B. We also welcome interviews of prominent performers, playwrights, and directors across South Asia.]

Timeline & instructions:

Last date of submission of Abstracts: 11.05.2025

Date of communication of selected Abstracts: 18.05.2025

Last Date of submission of papers: 31.07.2025

Submission Guidelines: 9th edition of MLA handbook.

Font type & size: Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing

Email address for submission (electronic version only): marginalvoices25@gmail.com

Word-limit: Abstract: 250 (maximum)

Keywords: not more than 6

Final paper: should be strictly in the range of 4500-5000 words.

[The volume has been planned as the Titular Volume of the Series Theatre of the Marginalised: Dalit and Adivasi Performance Traditions in South Asia to be published by Peter Lang, International Academic Publishers.]