PERFORMANCE AND POST-IDENTITY POLITICS

The categorizations of identity that evolved through convoluted ideological practices operate by invoking mechanisms based on dialectics which privilege oppressive sociocultural systems such as patriarchy, heteronormativity, capitalism and prerogatives of race, ethnicity, religion etc. The visibly discrete, cultural categories of identity produced within the regimes of power invariably pose challenges to the process of reaffirmation of identity by dismantling their own borders. The genesis of post-identity politics initiated a radical shift in the debates on race and gender which instilled new paradigms in the studies of society and culture. The post-identity context of performance and theatre in late twentieth century offers the framework for articles in this book.