Empathy as Dialogue in Theatre and Performance [Hardcover]

Empathy has provoked equal measures of excitementand controversy in recent years. For some, empathy is crucial to understandingothers, helping us bridge social and cultural differences. For others, empathyis nothing but a misguided assumption of access to the minds of others. In this book, Cummings argues thatempathy comes in many forms, some helpful to understanding others and somedetrimental. Tracing empathysgenealogy through aesthetic theory, philosophy, psychology, and performancetheory, Cummings illustrates how theatre artists and scholars have oftenoverlooked the dynamic potential of empathy by focusing on its moremonologic forms, in which spectators either project their point of view ontocharacters or passively identify with them. This book therefore explores how empathy is most effective when itfunctions as a dialogue, along with how theatre and performance can utilisethe live, emergent exchange between bodies in space to encourage more dynamic,dialogic encounters between performers and audience. 

Introduction.- Acknowledgements.- Chapter 1. Interruptions.- Chapter 2. Repetitions.- Chapter 3. Rehearsals.- Chapter 4. Empathic Economies.- Conclusion.- Bibliography. 

Lindsay B. Cummings is Assistant Professor ofDramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, USA.Empathy has provoked equal measures of excitement and controversy in recent years. For some, empathy is crucial to understanding others, helping us bridge social and cultural differences. For others, empathy is nothing but a misguided assumption of access to the minds of others. In this book, Cummings argues that empathy comes in many forms, some helpful to understanding others and some detrimental. Tracing empathys genealogy through aesthetic theory, philosophy, psychology, and performance theory, Cummings illustrates how theatre artists and scholars have often overlooked the dynamic potentls%