ABSTRACT
John O’Toole uses a postcolonial lens to investigate the current world position and state of drama education. Starting with the question, ‘Whose heritage?’, he surveys its chronological and cultural history, and the predominantly Western, post-‘Enlightenment’ nature of drama in educational contexts. He examines the paradoxical relationship between drama and learning, and identifies and distinguishes many of its multiple purposes and uses in schools. He goes on to pose some of the major challenges ahead for teachers and educators in establishing drama in school systems and classrooms, particularly where it is a ‘new’ or unfamiliar subject.
