Arab(ic) Theater Studies - DÉThéA

Abstract

The aim of this project is to contribute to the emergence of theater studies in Arabic and to the structuring of the field through the renewal of research practices and the fabrication of knowledge about theater in Arabic. Relying on a new generation of researchers from French, European and Middle Eastern universities, this program is based on an innovative methodology combining different approaches, fieldwork in the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine), the collection of diverse sources and the creation of an original research fund to produce new knowledge on theater in Arabic.

It revolves around 3 main axes:

• renewing the historiography of theater in Arabic through the prism of archival research
• enlightening the ways of thinking and theorizing in Arabic and on Arabic theatre
• studying the textual, scenic and contextual aesthetics of Arab theater

Dates and duration

02/2026 - 01/2030 (48 months)

Partners

CNRS - Ifpo (UMIFRE 6 UAR 3135)
Inalco - CERMOM (EA 4091)
Université Lyon 3 - IETT (EA 4186)
University of Jordan
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (IESAV)
University of Baghdad
University of Birzeit
Institut Supérieur des Arts Dramatiques (Syria)

Scientific coordination and team

Najla NAKHLÉ-CERRUTI (CNRS, Ifpo), scientific coordinator
Rima SLEIMAN (Inalco), scientific manager 
Elisabeth VAUTHIER (Lyon 3), scientific manager

Recruitments: 
1 research engineer at Ifpo (18 months), 1 PhD student (36 months) at Inalco and 2 post-docs (24 months and 12 months) at Lyon 3 and Inalco

Objectives

DÉThéA aims to structure and empower the emerging field of Arabic theater studies by renewing its theoretical, methodological and archival frameworks. The project analyzes theater in Arabic from the creative process, from conception to performance and reception. It intends to go beyond Eurocentric approaches, consolidate a critical historiography based on archives, document unpublished corpora threatened with disappearance and establish a perennial scientific framework for Arab theater studies.

Methodology

The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach crossing theater studies, Arab studies, sociology of the field, historiography and digital humanities. It combines field surveys in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel, ethnographic interviews with artists and institutions, inventory and mapping of theatrical archives, dramaturgical analysis and the study of scenic materialities. Data is processed according to FAIR principles, via a collaborative Zotero library, a Data Management Plan, integration with HAL and Nakala platforms, and the creation of a dedicated digital infrastructure.

Expected results

The project will produce a historiographical reconfiguration of theater in Arabic, a renewed theorization of scenic aesthetics in constrained contexts, and a sociological analysis of the conditions of production and circulation. It will enable the safeguarding and valorization of unpublished archives, the development of perennial digital tools, the publication of a collective work, scientific articles and a monograph, as well as the training of a new generation of specialized researchers.

Deliverables

Specialized research fund at the Ifpo media library in Amman (250 books + digitized archives)
Collaborative Zotero library
Data Management Plan
Hypothesis platform / Carnets de l'Ifpo
Scientific articles (peer-reviewed journals)
Final collective work
Monograph and HDR
Doctoral thesis
Bilingual anthology
SéThéA monthly seminar (4 years)
Closing international colloquium

Key words-clefs

Arab theater, theater studies, historiography, performing arts archives, digital humanities, sociology of the field, performance, scenic materialities, transnational circulation, creation in constrained context

References

Nakhlé-Cerruti, Palestine on stage (2022)

Al Douri, Research on Iraqi theater (1972)

Sef Abdil Kader, The Theater in Iraq (1995)

Kanani, The Palestinian Theater Movement (2004)

Snir, Palestinian Theatre (2005)

Donizeau, The Egyptian scene in revolution (2023)

Jungen & Sfeir, Archiving in the Middle East (2019)

Reason, "Archive or Memory?" (2003)

Bailleur

Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) - Appel à projets générique - AAPG 2025