War as Performance

Description

This book examines performance in the context of the 2003 Iraq War and subsequent conflicts with Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State. Working within a theater and performance studies lens, it analyzes adaptations of Greek tragedy, documentary theater, political performances by the Bush administration, protest performances, satiric news television programs, and post-apocalyptic narratives in popular culture. By considering performance across genre and media, War as Performance offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture, warfare, and militarization, and argues that spectacular and banal aesthetics of contemporary war positions performance as a practice struggling to distance itself from appropriation by the military for violent ends. Contemporary warfare has infiltrated our narratives to such an extent that it holds performance hostage. As lines between the military and performance weaken, this book analyzes how performance responds to and potentially shapes war and conflict in the new century. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction: The Intersection of War and Performance (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 1-27 Impresarios and Protestors: From the Bush Administration to Cindy Sheehan (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 29-63 Ancient Wars, Endless War: Adaptations of Greek Tragedy (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 65-92 Not Just “Over There”: Theater of the Real and Iraqi Voices (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 93-123 Ideologically Liberal and Formally Conservative: Satire, News, and Truthiness (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 125-162 War After the End: Post-apocalyptic Narratives After 9/11 (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 163-211 Epilogue: War as Performance (Lindsey Mantoan)....Pages 213-217 Back Matter ....Pages 219-236