Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 4-14-2023

Abstract

This research is titled On the Aesthetics of Resistance in Afro-German Theater: A Case Study of Olumide Popoola's Also by mail. The main purpose of this research is to show how Afro-German theater resists through creative processes on a symbolic and aesthetic level to address crucial challenges faced by the black minority in Germany. The play Also by mail by Nigerian-German playwright Olumide Popoola is an interesting example of this, as it is situated at the intersection of gender, race, and identity. Popoola’s engagement with the aesthetics of resistance provides a way to understand how Afro-German activism today uses the performative arts and incorporates them into its ideological struggle. On a methodological level, this research involves identifying the symbols of resistance in the play, then analyzing and subsequently interpreting their pragmatics. This research has led to the following results: Tied to transnational and transcultural trends, the idea of resistance is fundamental in the play Also by mail. This can be seen on the linguistic, intertextual, musical, thematic, editorial, and dramaturgical levels, and in the constellation of characters.

Keywords

Afro-deutsches Theater, Ästhetik des Widerstands, Identität, Olumide Popoola

Sponsors

University of New Mexico

Document Type

Thesis

Language

German

Degree Name

German Studies

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

First Committee Member (Chair)

Prof. Susanne Baackmann, Chairperson

Second Committee Member

Prof. Tiffany N. Florvil

Third Committee Member

Dr. Jason Wilby

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