Cultures of the Left feature the new monograph by Elaine Aston 'Staging Feminism':

Prof. Elaine Aston was in conversation with Prof. Janelle Reinelt

Chaired by: Prof. Bishnuprya Dutt

How do we foreground methodologies of migration in transnational context and also in the context of COVID?

How does the image of migrant worker emerge as a symbol of migration in context of the pandemic?

How do migration processes reconfigure and reinforce internal and external boarders?

These are just some of the questions we have grappled with in our session on Migration and Pandemic, curated by Dr Ameet Parameswaram (JNU, New Delhi).

Our speakers in order of appearance:

Professor Yana Meerzon, (University of Ottawa, Canada)

Dr Indu Jain, (Janki Devi Memorial College, New Delhi)

Theatre Director, educator and filmmaker, Anamika Haksar (India)

Professor of Economics and musician Sumangala Damodaran (Ambedkar University, New Delhi)

Professor of Sociology and author Ari Sitas (University of Cape Town, SA)

Professor Peter W. Marx (University of Cologne, Germany)

Works that we have read, viewed and listed to for this session:

1. Discussion "Do Black Live Matter in Europe":
https://zoom.us/rec/play/vJwqc-j8qT03G9TDsASDC_N9W464Lf2shCQa_6BczBu0WiELNVagZLMWNre25lRkIfrPA4E1LnpTQpdD?continueMode=true

2. Here's piece with embedded songs from Sumangala Damodaran:

https://thewire.in/the-arts/migrant-workers-covid-19-lockdown-songs-about-migration

3. Trailers of Anamika Haksar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE60CnSIxEg&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE60CnSIxEg&feature=youtu.be
https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=M23_03Gk4OA

To watch/listen to our session please click below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knktfyDbLpM

- What happens to political dimensions of theatre (and to political theatre as such) in this circumstances?
- Can theatre/ performance be political when theatres are shut and the audience can’t congregate in the ‘here and now’? And if so, in what form?

- Is this situation forcing artists to think about new forms of theatre making and/or theatre curating? What is the socio-political role of theatre in this moment?

- Can we perhaps envisage what/how a post-pandemic theatre might be?

These are some of the questions our illustrious panel of speakers have addressed (in order of appearance):

Janelle Reinelt - Emeritus Professor of Theatre and Performance, Warwick University (UK/USA)

Moloyashree Hashmi - performer, co-founder of the renown theatre company Janam (India)

Duska Radosavljevic - dramaturge, theatre critic, scholar, Central School of Speech and Drama (London, UK)

Maya Krishna Rao - theatre maker, educator, artistic director of Vismayah theatre company (India)

Mark Fleishman - theatre director, scholar, artistic director of Magnet Theatre, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

For this session we've read: :https://medium.com/@nicholasberger/the-forgotten-art-of-assembly-a94e164edf0f

For this session we've viewed: Maya Rao's 'Lockdown Stories'

watch