A Critical History of the Indian Circus

This book maps the history of circus practice in colonial and post-colonial India, locating it as a unique genre within a larger field of cultural practice. It facilitates a close study of acts, performers, and performances, both historically and in the contemporary repertoire, with changing patterns of migration. At the centre of the research remains the debate which on the one hand labels the circus as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ against its contrasting narrative as a marginal form and even an exploitive entity towards animals and child performers. Cosmopolitanism, actor network theories, phenomenology, feminist, gender, and the postcolonial discourse are some of the theoretical frameworks which enable and inform this reading of the distinct circus practice in India. Aastha Gandhi teaches theatre and performance coursework for graduate programmes at the School of Culture and Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University Delhi, India. Her recently published essays include: ‘Indian Circus: a Melting Pot of Migrant Artists, Performativity, and Race’ (The Palgrave Handbook of Theatre and Migration, Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) and ‘The Indo-Soviet Circus Exchange amidst the Cold War: a State Propaganda or a People’s Art Form?’ (Performing the Cold War in the Postcolonial World: Theatre, Film, Literature, and Things, 2023). A researcher and performer, Aastha's research engages with the circus, networks, law, and discourses of the performing body. A degree in law adds to her multi- faceted, inter-disciplinary approach to performance research.