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'Provincializing' Post-Wall Europe: Transcultural Critique of Eurocentric Historicism in Pentecost, Europe and The Break of Day
Tijdschriftbijdrage - Tijdschriftartikel
In British post-wall plays of the 1990s, the turn to Eastern Europe’s
most recent history not only stimulates reflection on British national identity but
also points to a cultural shift in the transition from ‘old’ to ‘new’ Europe.
Scrutinizing this shift, the article presents a comparative case study of David
Edgar’s Pentecost (1994), David Greig’s Europe (1994) and Timberlake Wertenbaker’sThe Break of Day (1995). It concentrates on three aspects: (1) The plays’
representation of space reveals a crisis of nationalist imagination to which
Europe provides a transcultural alternative. (2) Their critique of Eurocentric
historiocism – aptly expressed in Dipesh Chakrabarty’s project of ‘provincializing
Europe’ – erodes the idea of Europe as a stable cultural space. In each play,
this critique is formulated with the help of different strategies, i.e. by contesting
historicism’s narrative of modernity (Pentecost), by negotiating conflicting European
identities (Europe) and by delineating transnational identities (The Break
of Day). (3) The use of multilingualism and epic elements points to an aesthetic
that continues the critique of Eurocentrism in performance by extending the
experience of transcultural complexity to performers and audiences alike.
Tijdschrift: Journal of Contemporary Drama in English
ISSN: 2195-0164
Issue: 1
Volume: 3
Pagina's: 28-46
Trefwoorden:1990s British post-wall play, historicism, transcultural discourse, provincializing Europe, critique of Eurocentrism in performance, Timberlake Wertenbaker: "The Break of Day", David Greig: "Europe", David Edgar: "Pentecost"