Jane Goodman

   Associate Professor

   Department of Anthropology

Project: On Tour: Algerian Actors in the United States

This project takes up the question of the relationship between familiarity and strangeness or difference by following the Algerian theater troupe Istijmam as they prepare for and then tour the United States in Fall 2016 under the auspices of the Center Stage program, which brings artists from underrepresented countries to the U.S. to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding. The study approaches familiarity and strangeness not as a static polarity but as a relationship that continuously shifts in ways that can be empirically discovered and documented. The research will result in an enhanced digital book with embedded video and will include collaborative material created by the actors.