Democracy, Theatre and Performance : From the Greeks to Gandhi by David Wiles (2024, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherCambridge University Press
ISBN-101009167995
ISBN-139781009167994
eBay Product ID (ePID)12065550785

Product Key Features

Book TitleDemocracy, Theatre and Performance : from the Greeks to Gandhi
Number of Pages300 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2024
TopicGeneral
IllustratorYes
GenreDrama, Political Science
AuthorDavid Wiles
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.7 in
Item Length9.3 in
Item Width6.2 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2023-042151
Reviews'This fascinating re-reading of political thought and practice questions our political values through the observation of democratic behaviour. Historical debates become performance events. Refreshingly, Wiles interprets the democratic process through a combined exploration of intellectual argument and the theatrical mode of political delivery.' Vicki Ann Cremona, Professor in Theatre Studies, University of Malta
Dewey Edition23/eng/20231208
Dewey Decimal321.8/09
Table Of Content1. Introduction: democracy as performance; 2. Rhetoric in Athenian democracy; 3. Acting versus sincerity: Aeschines v. Demosthenes; 4. Puritan democracy: the English Revolution; 5. Oratory in the French revolutionary; 6. American democracy: from the founders to feminism; 7. Democracy as a universal good: Gandhi, Tagore and the new India; 8. Theatrocracy: back to Athens.
SynopsisDemocracy, argues David Wiles, is actually a form of theatre. In making his case, the author deftly investigates orators at the foundational moments of ancient and modern democracy, demonstrating how their performative skills were used to try to create a better world. People often complain about demagogues, or wish that politicians might be more sincere. But to do good, politicians (paradoxically) must be hypocrites - or actors. Moving from Athens to Indian independence via three great revolutions - in Puritan England, republican France and liberal America - the book opens up larger questions about the nature of democracy. When in the classical past Plato condemned rhetoric, the only alternative he could offer was authoritarianism. Wiles' bold historical study has profound implications for our present: calls for personal authenticity, he suggests, are not an effective way to counter the rise of populism., David Wiles boldly reframes democracy as a form of theatre, moving from Athens to the English, French, and American revolutions, and to Indian independence, exploring how democracy really works. Engagingly written, his book will reshape thinking for students and general readers in theatre, history and political science alike.
LC Classification NumberJC423.W4756 2024

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