Open AccessWhat Happened to Theatre Studies?
Author(s) -
Niels Lehmann
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
nordic theatre studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.139
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 2002-3898
pISSN - 0904-6380
DOI - 10.7146/nts.v30i2.112948
Subject(s) - theatre studies , convergence (economics) , order (exchange) , heading (navigation) , aesthetics , sociology , epistemology , history , art , literature , philosophy , drama , geography , economics , geodesy , finance , economic growth
In this article, the recent development of theatre studies is outlined in order to suggest a way forward under the heading of “theatre studies 3.0.” A double thesis is defended. Firstly, it is argued that the development of theatre studies is marked by a simultaneous tendency towards pragmatization, theorization, and expansion. Secondly, it is shown that these three strands of development may be seen as reactions to a more fundamental threefold change of the social semantics: a decline of the tradition of edification, an insistence of convergence of the theoretically and the practically oriented programmesof education, and finally a loss of self-evident borders for disciplines. Having suggested what happened to theatre studies and why it happened, the article suggests that we follow a path called “theatre studies 3.0.” based on “an asymmetrical double strategy”.