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Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America

Online ISBN:
9780190252793
Print ISBN:
9780195385854
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America

Ayanna Thompson
Ayanna Thompson

Associate Professor of English

Arizona State University, Associate Professor of English
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Published online:
3 March 2015
Published in print:
9 June 2011
Online ISBN:
9780190252793
Print ISBN:
9780195385854
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Notions, constructions, and performances of race continue to define the contemporary American experience, including our conceptions, performances, and employments of William Shakespeare. This book examines the contact zones between American constructions of Shakespeare and American constructions of race by asking: How is Shakespeare's universalism constructed within explicit discussions and debates about racial identity? Of what benefit is the promotion of Shakespeare and Shakespearean programs to incarcerated and/or at-risk persons of color? Are they aesthetic, moral, or linguistic? Do Shakespeare's plays need to be edited, appropriated, revised, updated, or rewritten to affirm racial equality and relevance? Do the answers to these questions impact our understanding of authorship, authority, and authenticity? A book that does not shy away from controversial topics or unconventional approaches, this book examines a wide range of contemporary texts and performances, including contemporary films, novels, theatrical productions, YouTube videos, and arts education programs.

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