Appropriating Folk Culture : Study of Post Independence Indian Drama

The present book is a study of the use of the various elements of folk culture in the plays in Indian languages written after the independence, for representation of the contemporary situation. This trend started as a reaction against the hegemony of western culture and a need for the use of indigenous knowledge system for the present need. It discusses thirty-two plays of twenty-five playwrights from different regions and languages to explore the multilingual, multicultural mosaic of India and to project the vital diversity of Indian society. It seeks to combine literature, performance and folklore studies and adopt the interdisciplinary culture studies approach.