ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines Bertolt Brecht’s influence on Indian theatre. One of the most established instances of scholarly engagement with the discourse of influence in the West is Harold Bloom’s Anxiety of Influence. Bloom’s conceptualisation follows a model where the influence that comes from the hierarchical stars descends to something lower. Brechtian theatre in India could well be seen as a re-articulation of this differance as it continues to differ and defer in meaning not only from its European counterpart, but also from an ossified and absolute Indian version of Brechtian theatre. The dissemination of Brecht in India was also significant because it created new sites of resistance. To create these sites, Indian playwrights often forged an alliance between working classes and other exploited groups to fight against the absolutist discourses of the State and its ruling classes.
