ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly discusses the origins and history of the field of performance studies. It starts by discussing the broader shifts happening in academia and society during the 1960s, which gave rise to an interdisciplinary concern with performance. The chapter continues with the growth and expansion of performance studies around the world, discussing transformative turns in the development of the field. In doing so, this chapter also takes up some of the critiques made to the field of performance studies and unpacks them, asking: Can everything be studied as performance? What are the limits of the field? Where is new scholarship in performance studies going? The chapter ends by exploring the question: Why should one pursue a performance studies degree/career?
