The world of opera is beautiful but often marred by the historical ideas and accepted practices of the times in which works were created. This project is a consideration of the history of Orientalism ..
The world of opera is beautiful but often marred by the historical ideas and accepted practices of the times in which works were created. This project is a consideration of the history of Orientalism in opera and the current discourse on Orientalism and cultural appropriation. I will be focusing on the historical context of cultural appropriation and current trends for responding to the same in the performing arts, with attention to the dynamics of gender and place in several of the selected operatic works, consideration of the problem of whiteness in opera, and the resulting issues of cultural appropriation and impersonation.
