Teaching Workshop: Ancient Tragedy for Contemporary Worlds
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Through this laboratory, students will: 1) understand the connections between coloniality and the construct of antiquity, 2) question the dominant historiographical assumption that frames ancient Greece as the origin of theatrical praxis, 3) develop more diverse and inclusive frameworks of theatre history, and 4) investigate how the blurred boundaries between theatrical and everyday performance both unsettle and reproduce hegemonic power relations.
Expected learning outcomes
1) Students will analyze the relationship between coloniality and constructions of "classical antiquity," demonstrating an understanding of how dominant narratives of theatre history have been shaped by colonial perspectives 2) Students will critically evaluate Eurocentric assumptions about ancient Greece as the singular origin of theatrical practice, identifying alternative theatrical traditions and genealogies 3) Students will articulate the multiple meanings of "tragedy" as literary genre, philosophical concept, and lived experience in contemporary contexts including displacement, authoritarianism, and social upheaval 4) Students will research and present on non-Western theatrical traditions that complicate dominant narratives of theatre history and tragic form.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Course Description
Why do the Queens of Syria—a theatre collective of female practitioners who have fled their country—stage adaptations of ancient Greek tragedies as part of their activism? What are the tensions between the ancient dramatic texts and their contemporary performances? "Tragedy" has been a key term for navigating our current condition, from natural disasters to wars, massive displacements, and the rise of authoritarianism. This course will examine the connections between a wide spectrum of ancient dramatic texts related to tragedy and their contemporary relevance. In addition to engaging with primary sources, we will explore the intersections between tragedy as dramatic literature and tragedy as enacted philosophy, performance, and applied theatre.
Course Schedule
Week 1-2: Dismantling the "Classical" Foundation (5 hours)
Session 1: The Coloniality of Classical Knowledge (2.5 hours)
· Deconstructing the "Greek origins" narrative
· Coloniality of knowledge and the Western canon
· The invention of "classical antiquity" as colonial project
· Reading: Bernal, M. Black Athena (Chapters 1-2); Mignolo, W. The Darker Side of Western Modernity
Session 2: Border Thinking and Epistemic Violence (2.5 hours)
· Mestiza consciousness and alternative epistemologies
· The violence of singular origin stories
· Decolonial aesthetics and performance
· Reading: Anzaldúa, G. Borderlands/La Frontera (Chapters 1-2, 7); Lugones, M. "Toward a Decolonial Feminism"
Week 3-4: Global Tragic Genealogies (5 hours)
Session 3: Performance Cosmologies (2.5 hours)
· Sanskrit drama and rasa theory
· Chinese opera and emotional landscapes
· African praise poetry and communal tragedy
· Reading: Bharucha, R. Theatre and the World (Chapters 1-3)
Student Presentation Round 1: Alternative Tragic Traditions
Session 4: Decolonizing Theatrical Genealogies (2.5 hours)
· African theatre histories beyond colonial narratives
· Indigenous performance and ritual tragedy
· Intersectional approaches to performance history
· Reading: Banham, M. A History of Theatre in Africa (selected chapters);
Week 5-6: Contemporary Tragic Conditions (5 hours)
Session 5: Displacement and Testimonial Performance (2.5 hours)
· The Queens of Syria: refugee theatre as decolonial practice
· Testimonial theatre and embodied archives
· Performance and forced migration
· Jeffers, A. Refugees, Theatre and Crisis (Chapters 1-2)
· Viewing: "Queens of Syria" documentary and performance excerpts
Session 6: Crisis, and Performance (2.5 hours)
· Performance in contexts of state violence
· Classical texts as tools of resistance
· Critical mimesis and uncertainty
· Reading: Carlson M. The Arab Oedipus: Four Plays; Chaudhuri, U. Staging Place (Chapters 3-4)
Student Presentation Round 2: Contemporary Case Studies
Week 7-8: Applied Tragic Praxis (5 hours)
Session 7: Theatre of Liberation (2.5 hours)
· Boal's method and ancient texts
· Popular theatre and political culture
· Performance affects and social change
· Reading: Boal, A. Theatre of the Oppressed (Chapters 1-3
Practical Workshop: Forum theatre with ancient texts
Session 8: Synthesis and Final Projects (2.5 hours)
· Ancient texts as contemporary decolonial tools
· Performance as border-crossing practice
· Future directions for decolonial classical reception
· Reading: Rankine, P. Ulysses in Black (selected chapters)
· Final Performance Projects
· Final Research Paper Presentations
· Final papers due
Why do the Queens of Syria—a theatre collective of female practitioners who have fled their country—stage adaptations of ancient Greek tragedies as part of their activism? What are the tensions between the ancient dramatic texts and their contemporary performances? "Tragedy" has been a key term for navigating our current condition, from natural disasters to wars, massive displacements, and the rise of authoritarianism. This course will examine the connections between a wide spectrum of ancient dramatic texts related to tragedy and their contemporary relevance. In addition to engaging with primary sources, we will explore the intersections between tragedy as dramatic literature and tragedy as enacted philosophy, performance, and applied theatre.
Course Schedule
Week 1-2: Dismantling the "Classical" Foundation (5 hours)
Session 1: The Coloniality of Classical Knowledge (2.5 hours)
· Deconstructing the "Greek origins" narrative
· Coloniality of knowledge and the Western canon
· The invention of "classical antiquity" as colonial project
· Reading: Bernal, M. Black Athena (Chapters 1-2); Mignolo, W. The Darker Side of Western Modernity
Session 2: Border Thinking and Epistemic Violence (2.5 hours)
· Mestiza consciousness and alternative epistemologies
· The violence of singular origin stories
· Decolonial aesthetics and performance
· Reading: Anzaldúa, G. Borderlands/La Frontera (Chapters 1-2, 7); Lugones, M. "Toward a Decolonial Feminism"
Week 3-4: Global Tragic Genealogies (5 hours)
Session 3: Performance Cosmologies (2.5 hours)
· Sanskrit drama and rasa theory
· Chinese opera and emotional landscapes
· African praise poetry and communal tragedy
· Reading: Bharucha, R. Theatre and the World (Chapters 1-3)
Student Presentation Round 1: Alternative Tragic Traditions
Session 4: Decolonizing Theatrical Genealogies (2.5 hours)
· African theatre histories beyond colonial narratives
· Indigenous performance and ritual tragedy
· Intersectional approaches to performance history
· Reading: Banham, M. A History of Theatre in Africa (selected chapters);
Week 5-6: Contemporary Tragic Conditions (5 hours)
Session 5: Displacement and Testimonial Performance (2.5 hours)
· The Queens of Syria: refugee theatre as decolonial practice
· Testimonial theatre and embodied archives
· Performance and forced migration
· Jeffers, A. Refugees, Theatre and Crisis (Chapters 1-2)
· Viewing: "Queens of Syria" documentary and performance excerpts
Session 6: Crisis, and Performance (2.5 hours)
· Performance in contexts of state violence
· Classical texts as tools of resistance
· Critical mimesis and uncertainty
· Reading: Carlson M. The Arab Oedipus: Four Plays; Chaudhuri, U. Staging Place (Chapters 3-4)
Student Presentation Round 2: Contemporary Case Studies
Week 7-8: Applied Tragic Praxis (5 hours)
Session 7: Theatre of Liberation (2.5 hours)
· Boal's method and ancient texts
· Popular theatre and political culture
· Performance affects and social change
· Reading: Boal, A. Theatre of the Oppressed (Chapters 1-3
Practical Workshop: Forum theatre with ancient texts
Session 8: Synthesis and Final Projects (2.5 hours)
· Ancient texts as contemporary decolonial tools
· Performance as border-crossing practice
· Future directions for decolonial classical reception
· Reading: Rankine, P. Ulysses in Black (selected chapters)
· Final Performance Projects
· Final Research Paper Presentations
· Final papers due
Prerequisites for admission
· Workshop will be conducted in English
Teaching methods
In-Person lectures
Teaching Resources
Required Readings
Decolonial Theory & Critiques of Classicism
· Anzaldúa, Gloria. 2012. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books.
· Bernal, Martin. 1987. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
· Lugones, María. "Toward a Decolonial Feminism," Hypatia 25(4): 742-759.
· Mignolo, Walter. 2011. The Darker Side of Western Modernity. Durham: Duke University Press,
· Rankine, Patrice. 2006. Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Global Tragic/Performance Traditions
· Banham, Martin (ed.). 2004. A History of Theatre in Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
· Bharucha, Rustom. 1993. Theatre and the World: Performance and the Politics of Culture. London: Routledge.
· Chaudhuri, Una. 1997. Staging Place: The Geography of Modern Drama. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Contemporary Refugee/Displacement Theatre
· Jeffers, Alison. 2012. Refugees, Theatre and Crisis: Performing Global Identities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Applied Theatre & Activism
· Boal, Augusto. Theatre of the Oppressed. London: Pluto Press.
Decolonial Theory & Critiques of Classicism
· Anzaldúa, Gloria. 2012. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books.
· Bernal, Martin. 1987. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
· Lugones, María. "Toward a Decolonial Feminism," Hypatia 25(4): 742-759.
· Mignolo, Walter. 2011. The Darker Side of Western Modernity. Durham: Duke University Press,
· Rankine, Patrice. 2006. Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Global Tragic/Performance Traditions
· Banham, Martin (ed.). 2004. A History of Theatre in Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
· Bharucha, Rustom. 1993. Theatre and the World: Performance and the Politics of Culture. London: Routledge.
· Chaudhuri, Una. 1997. Staging Place: The Geography of Modern Drama. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Contemporary Refugee/Displacement Theatre
· Jeffers, Alison. 2012. Refugees, Theatre and Crisis: Performing Global Identities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Applied Theatre & Activism
· Boal, Augusto. Theatre of the Oppressed. London: Pluto Press.
Assessment methods and Criteria
· In-Class Presentations (25%)
· In-Class Performances (25%)
· Final Research Paper - 5 pages (25%)
· Final Performance Project (25%)
· In-Class Performances (25%)
· Final Research Paper - 5 pages (25%)
· Final Performance Project (25%)
Professor(s)