Abstract
Beginning in the 1980s, under the influence of critical theories, theatre historians in North America began to critically reflect upon the historical legacy of Theaterwissenschaft (Theatre Studies). Scholars adoptedthe concept of “theatre historiography” to theorize research on theatre history. This intellectual move sought to explore methodologies that differ from a positivist approach to theatre history.Theatre historiography is concerned with the most essential assumptions, principles, and methodologies that determine how theatre history is produced.The emergence of theatre historiographyhas facilitated a renewed understanding of the essentialnature of theatre, materials for research in theatre history, and research subjects. Theatre historiographers in North America have thus laid out the theoretical foundation for postpositivist theatre history within the Euro-American context.
Keywords
theatre historiography, positivism, postpositivist theatre history, performance studies
First Page
89
Last Page
97
Recommended Citation
Wu, Guanda. 2023. "Beyond Positivism: The Emergence and Approaches of Theatre Historiography in North America." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 43, (2): pp.89-97. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol43/iss2/9
