Refugees, Theatre and Crisis

ALISON JEFFERS Lecturer in Applied Theatre and Contemporary Performance at the University of Manchester, UK. She has extensive experience of teaching and of working with community groups using drama and theatre. She was a researcher with 'In Place Of' at the University of Manchester before taking up her post as a lecturer.

Joint Winner of the 2012 TaPRA Early Career Researcher Prize 'Refugees, Theatre and Crisismarks a timely response to urgent political questions about the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. Scholarly and incisive, the power of this book lies is in Alison Jeffers political clarity, her empathetic understanding of why refugees are compelled to make theatre and her vivid analysis of how theatre-makers have told refugees' stories on the professional stage. The impressively rich material and detailed case studies provide insights into the ways in which theatre and performance are used as a means of cultural expression, and asks how cultural identities are shaped in the process. This remarkable book is compelling reading for anyone who cares about human rights and theatre.' - Professor Helen Nicholson, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK 'In Refugees, Theatre and Crisis, Alison Jeffers provides a compelling account of the complex relations between refugee communities, the theatre practices they create and the 'bureaucratic' performances in which they become enmeshed. This is a theoretically rich book, brim full of previously undocumented examples of practice - a wonderful read and an inspiration for students, teachers and practitioners interested in those moments when theatre seems to illuminate unexpected contours of these crisis-dominated times.' - Professor James Thompson, University of Manchester, UK '...[a] meticulously researched, compassionate book... This is an important book about the stakes involved when connection is sought across vast gaps in life opportuntity, status and power...' - Emma Cox, Research in Drama Education 'Jeffers' book offers an original and provocative contribution to scholars and practitioners in Refugee Studies and Theatre and Performance Studies, particularly Applied, Social and Community Theatre. It is both a call for and significant contribution to an ethical understanding of refugees.' - Caoimhe McAvinchey, New Theatre Quarterly 'The book Refugees, Theatre and Crisis: Performing Global Identities, recipient of the 2012 TaPRA award in the category New Career Research in Theatre/Performance, is a timely and valuable addition to the growing field of exilic and refugee theatre studies... a vital addition to the studies of global theatre today and an important reference source in theatre and performance studies, cultural studies and public history.' - Yana Meerzon, Theatre Research International

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Preface Introduction: Stories, Words and Points of View Refugees, Crisis and Bureaucratic Performance Hosts and Guests: National Performance and the Ethics of Hospitality Taking up Space and Making a Noise: Minority Performances of Activism 'We With Them and Them With Us': Diverse Cultural Performances Conclusion: Face to Face or Shoulder to Shoulder? Notes References Index