The Plebs speak: Theater in Besieged Sarajevo (1992–1995)

Anida Hadzic, Purdue University

Abstract

This thesis explores the phenomenon of the theater under the siege in Sarajevo (1992-1995) as a political act. In defining the political, I resort to the work of Jacques Ranciere and his theoretical development of what constitutes a political act and a political subject. I focus on the plays performed in Sarajevo during the war, notably three plays staged by the Sarajevo director Dino Mustafić—Jean-Paul Sartre's The Wall, Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, and Sławomir Mrożeks On Foot. Susan Sontag's staging of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is also the subject of this thesis, since it raises important questions regarding the role of the intellectual today, as well as the relationship of the West toward the war in Bosnia.

Degree

M.A.

Advisors

Marzec, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Modern literature|Theater

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