Politics of indigenizing Brecht’s work in selected plays of Ajoka theatre in Pakistan
Transcultural theatrical adaptation has become an increasingly important and emerging domain of inquiry for scholars of language and literature because it illuminates points of contention, raises questions, problems and allows multiple perspectives to suggest answers to the contemporary issues...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/75546/1/FBMK%202018%2045%20IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | Transcultural theatrical adaptation has become an increasingly important and
emerging domain of inquiry for scholars of language and literature because it
illuminates points of contention, raises questions, problems and allows multiple
perspectives to suggest answers to the contemporary issues. In this context, it is also
a key issue and vigorous focus for dramatists and artists in storytelling due to its
collaborative creative mode as a process, continuing popularity as a product. In
recognition of above mentioned issue, Brecht’s canonical literary work and its
indigenization in Pakistan offer a valuable transcultural adaptation study because it
was performed through a radical theatre movement with a distinct dramaturgy and
political philosophy in two different cultural contexts and historical frame of
references. As the foremost representative of Brecht’s radical dramaturgy, in Pakistan
since 1983, Ajoka theatre utilized these adaptations as socio-political spaces to
challenge dominant discourse on the rise of dictatorship and capitalism in Pakistan.
The study anchors the selected plays within their historical contexts, emphasizing the
value regarding the plays themselves as historical documents. This study addresses
this gap by exploring and examining the political dimension of these theatrical
adaptations of Brecht selected works in light of Hutcheon’s theory of adaptation and
New Historicism. The study comprised three separate sections. The first dealt with
criticism of capitalist society, the second with the means of changing that society and
third with the nexus between capitalism and dictatorship. This dissertation
investigated the socio-political imperatives: the emergence of fundamentalist Martial
Law regime, rise of capitalism with nexus between it and religion which necessitated
the transcultural adaptation of selected Brecht’s plays thus confirmed Hutcheon’s
assumption of historical intentionality that socio-political conditions also create the
environment for adaptation and that the theory of adaptation should address that
researched area of investigation. Secondly, it explored Brecht’s theatre adaptability to
traditional Asian folk theatre and locate distinct transcultural adaptation process which made them new cultural products and thirdly, the study conducted new historicist
study of selected Brecht plays and their adaptations with dictatorship and capitalism
as a historical context, which revealed thought provoking findings, contradicted the
previous researches which label them as ‘timeless pieces of literature’. The study
revealed that Ajoka theatre’s continuous engagement with Brecht’s work is highly
productive. Ajoka theatre has gained radical identity and an international reputation
while Brecht’s canon has gained a new set of audience, dynamic Asian theatrical space
and opportunity to propagate Brecht’s social and political philosophy. Finally, since
majority of the current research look at political dimensions and social factors in
Pakistan from the late 1970s onward have contributed towards Pakistan’s image as a
terrorist land, particularly after 9/11, this dissertation provides a fresh look on the
struggle of Pakistani nation as a vibrant, democratic and theatre loving nation. |
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