Teaching Workshop: Performance Ethnography
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Drawing upon the "performative turn" in ethnography that approaches performance both as a field and a method of research, the broader goals of this workshop are to learn 1) how various types of performance are studied ethnographically, 2) how to apply performance as an epistemology, practice, and tool of research, 3) how the interplay between conducting ethnography of and through performance shapes the ethnographic field, and 4) performance ethnography's contribution to the ethics of questioning the power differential between the observer and the observed. Throughout the class, we will read a variety of performance ethnography methodologies and ethnographic texts from around the world to illustrate some of the different ways performance can be analyzed and practiced as research.
Expected learning outcomes
1) Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical foundations of the "performative turn" in ethnographic research and its epistemological implications 2) Students will explain how performance functions simultaneously as both subject matter and research methodology in ethnographic inquiry 3) Students will analyze case studies from global performance ethnography literature to understand methodological diversity and cultural specificity 4) Students will present research findings using both traditional academic formats and performance-based presentation methods.
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 Schedule
Week 1-2: Foundations (5hrs)
Session 1: Introduction to Performance Ethnography (2.5 hours)
· What is performance ethnography?
· The "performative turn" in anthropology and ethnography
· Performance as epistemology vs. performance as object of study
· Reading: Conquergood, D. Cultural Struggles (selected chapters)
Session 2: Theoretical Foundations (2.5 hours)
· Body, embodiment, and knowledge production
· Observer/observed power dynamics
· Reflexivity in performance ethnography
· Reading: Madison, D.S. Critical Ethnography (selected chapters)
Week 3-4: Global Methodologies (5 hours)
Session 3: Performance Ethnography Across Cultures (2.5 hours)
· Case study: Mojisola Adebayo
· Cultural specificity in methodological approaches
· Decolonizing performance research
· Reading: Taylor, D. Performance (selected chapters); Newton, E. Mother Camp (selected chapters)
Session 4: Digital and Contemporary Contexts (2.5 hours)
· Virtual performance spaces
· Social media as a performance site
· Contemporary challenges and opportunities
· Reading: Altınay, R. Ertuğ. et al. "Large-Scale Collaborative Research Projects..."
· Freedom Theatre & ASHTAR Theatre Case Studies
· Student Presentation Round 1
Week 5-6: Applied Methods (5 hours)
Session 5: Ethnography OF Performance (2.5 hours)
· Participant observation in performance contexts
· Interview techniques with performers
· Documentation methods and ethics
· Reading: Seizer, S. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage (selected chapters)
· Hands-on workshop: observing campus performances
Session 6: Ethnography THROUGH Performance (2.5 hours)
· Performative writing and presentation
· Embodied research methods
· Co-creation with research participants
· Reading: Hamera, J. Opening Acts (selected chapters)
· Student Presentation Round 2
Week 7-8: Ethics and Applications (5 hours)
Session 7: Ethics and Power (2.5 hours)
· Consent and collaboration in performance research
· Representation and voice
· Community engagement and reciprocity
· Reading: Abu-Lughod, L. Dramas of Nationhood (selected chapters); Alexander-Craft, R. When the Devil Knocks (selected chapters)
· Case study analysis and discussion
Session 8: Final Presentations and Synthesis (2.5 hours)
Final Student Presentations
Workshop synthesis and reflection
Future directions in performance ethnography
Reading: Levi, H. The World of Lucha Libre (selected chapters)
Final papers due
Week 1-2: Foundations (5hrs)
Session 1: Introduction to Performance Ethnography (2.5 hours)
· What is performance ethnography?
· The "performative turn" in anthropology and ethnography
· Performance as epistemology vs. performance as object of study
· Reading: Conquergood, D. Cultural Struggles (selected chapters)
Session 2: Theoretical Foundations (2.5 hours)
· Body, embodiment, and knowledge production
· Observer/observed power dynamics
· Reflexivity in performance ethnography
· Reading: Madison, D.S. Critical Ethnography (selected chapters)
Week 3-4: Global Methodologies (5 hours)
Session 3: Performance Ethnography Across Cultures (2.5 hours)
· Case study: Mojisola Adebayo
· Cultural specificity in methodological approaches
· Decolonizing performance research
· Reading: Taylor, D. Performance (selected chapters); Newton, E. Mother Camp (selected chapters)
Session 4: Digital and Contemporary Contexts (2.5 hours)
· Virtual performance spaces
· Social media as a performance site
· Contemporary challenges and opportunities
· Reading: Altınay, R. Ertuğ. et al. "Large-Scale Collaborative Research Projects..."
· Freedom Theatre & ASHTAR Theatre Case Studies
· Student Presentation Round 1
Week 5-6: Applied Methods (5 hours)
Session 5: Ethnography OF Performance (2.5 hours)
· Participant observation in performance contexts
· Interview techniques with performers
· Documentation methods and ethics
· Reading: Seizer, S. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage (selected chapters)
· Hands-on workshop: observing campus performances
Session 6: Ethnography THROUGH Performance (2.5 hours)
· Performative writing and presentation
· Embodied research methods
· Co-creation with research participants
· Reading: Hamera, J. Opening Acts (selected chapters)
· Student Presentation Round 2
Week 7-8: Ethics and Applications (5 hours)
Session 7: Ethics and Power (2.5 hours)
· Consent and collaboration in performance research
· Representation and voice
· Community engagement and reciprocity
· Reading: Abu-Lughod, L. Dramas of Nationhood (selected chapters); Alexander-Craft, R. When the Devil Knocks (selected chapters)
· Case study analysis and discussion
Session 8: Final Presentations and Synthesis (2.5 hours)
Final Student Presentations
Workshop synthesis and reflection
Future directions in performance ethnography
Reading: Levi, H. The World of Lucha Libre (selected chapters)
Final papers due
Prerequisites for admission
· Workshop will be conducted in English
Teaching methods
In-Person lectures
Teaching Resources
Required Readings
Methods
Altınay, R. Ertuğ. et al. 2021. "Large-Scale Collaborative Research Projects in Theatre and Performance Studies: Resources, Politics, and Ethics in the Margins of Europe during the Covid-19 Pandemic," Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, 36(1), pp. 183-191.
Conquergood, Dwight. 2013. Cultural Struggles: Performance, Ethnography, Praxis. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press.
Hamera, Judith. 2005. Opening Acts. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Madison, D. Soyini. 2020. Critical Ethnography: Methods, Ethics, and Performance. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Taylor, Diana. 2016. Performance. Durham: Duke University Press.
Case Studies
Abu-Lughod, Lila. 2005. Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Alexander-Craft, Renée. 2016. When the Devil Knocks: The Congo Tradition and the Politics of Blackness in Twentieth-Century Panama. Ohio: The Ohio State University Press.
Levi, Heather. 2008. The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity. Durham: Duke University Press.
Newton, Esther. 1979. Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Seizer, Susan. 2005. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage: An Ethnography of Special Drama Artists in South India. Durham: Duke University Press.
Methods
Altınay, R. Ertuğ. et al. 2021. "Large-Scale Collaborative Research Projects in Theatre and Performance Studies: Resources, Politics, and Ethics in the Margins of Europe during the Covid-19 Pandemic," Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, 36(1), pp. 183-191.
Conquergood, Dwight. 2013. Cultural Struggles: Performance, Ethnography, Praxis. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press.
Hamera, Judith. 2005. Opening Acts. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Madison, D. Soyini. 2020. Critical Ethnography: Methods, Ethics, and Performance. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Taylor, Diana. 2016. Performance. Durham: Duke University Press.
Case Studies
Abu-Lughod, Lila. 2005. Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Alexander-Craft, Renée. 2016. When the Devil Knocks: The Congo Tradition and the Politics of Blackness in Twentieth-Century Panama. Ohio: The Ohio State University Press.
Levi, Heather. 2008. The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity. Durham: Duke University Press.
Newton, Esther. 1979. Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Seizer, Susan. 2005. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage: An Ethnography of Special Drama Artists in South India. Durham: Duke University Press.
Assessment methods and Criteria
· In-Class Presentations (40%)
· Final Research Paper (60%)
· Final Research Paper (60%)
Professor(s)