Indian Classical Dance and the Making of Postcolonial National Identities

Indian Classical Dance In A Transnational Context Explores What Happens When A National Cultural Production Is Reproduced Outside The Immediate Social, Political And Cultural Context Of Its Origin. Whereas Previous Studies Have Analysed Indian Classical Dance Only In The Context Of Indian History And Culture, This Volume Investigates Performances Of Indian Classical Dance In The Uk. What Is The Relation Between The Contemporary Performance Of Indian Classical Dance And The Constitution Of National, Diasporic And Multicultural Identity? Where And How Does Indian Dance Derive Its Productive Power In The Postcolonial Moment? How Do Diasporic And Nationalist Representations Of Indian Culture Intersect With Depictions Of British Culture And Politics? It Is Argued That Classical Indian Dance Has Become A Key Aspect Of Not Only Postcolonial South Asian Diasporic Identities, But Also Of British Multicultural And Transnational Identity. Based On An Extensive Ethnographic Study Of Performances Of Indian Classical Dance In The Uk, This Book Will Be Of Interest To Scholars Of Anthropology, Sociology, South Asian Studies, Postcolonial, Transnational And Cultural Studies, And Theatre And Performance Studies.