ABSTRACT
Anthropology of performance or performance viewed through an anthropological lens does not sit easily within a single discipline or as the object of study. It has been and is both a focus of research and a framework for investigation. We study performance as a phenomenon, and we use it as a lens to study the world. Performance studies have developed across many countries and kinds of institutions, and I include many of those, especially the ones that have most influenced the field. Finally, this chapter charts some of the ongoing themes in the history of the field as well as suggesting new directions.
