Performing Memory: Theatricalising Identity in Contemporary South Africa

Memory – individual and collective – has been central to the processes of redefining and representing identities in post-Apartheid South Africa. In the rush to produce ‘new’ histories, and define a ‘new’ South Africa, the focus upon memory has not only affected how archives are constructed, but also how they are ‘performed’. This project aims to analyse the implications of these processes, and their impact upon cultural practices, including the theatrical, broadly defined.

• Report on Research activities and current outcomes [PDF]
• Background on Performing Memory project
• Project website at Warwick University