Cultural identities in dramatic dialogue

Abstract

This text analyzes the modalities of representing cultural identities within the dramatic form and the dynamics of their formation through the interaction between dramatic characters and the audience. The theoretical foundations for this research are found in anthropological interpretations of the development of cultural identities (Van Gennep, V. Turner), as well as in recent studies in the philosophy of science and universal theories of dialogue (D. Bohm, A. Blake), with significant implications of these theories on theatre and the broader cultural aspect. In the second part, the text examines examples from the history of Serbian drama based on the aforementioned theoretical frameworks: the plays Beograd nekad i sad (Belgrade Then and Now) by J. S. Popović, Svet (The World) by B. Nušić, and Prve bure (First Storms) by D. Nenadić. Created over a span of more than seven decades, these plays, culturally and ideologically, similarly focus on depicting the cultural image of the Serbian-Belgrade bourgeoisie in conflict with the previous, traditional patriarchal cultural model. However, the dialogic situations in these plays are formally and substantively different, providing a basis for insights into the dynamics and content of cultural identities in general.

Keywords

• bourgeois drama
• comedy
• dialogue
• cultural identities
• transformation
• history of theatre