Woke Shakespeare: Rethinking Shakespeare for a New Era

by Ian Mccormick, Saptarshi Mallick (editor)

Shakespeare’s plays have always been embroiled in political and cultural debates. From the Elizabethan/Jacobean stage to modern classrooms, his works provoke conversation, challenge conventions, and ignite controversy. Nonetheless, Shakespeare’s central position in the traditional cultural establishment is facing renewed scrutiny as some critics start to question whether his works should still occupy a prime position on the syllabus and the stage. Debates about “woke” ideology—emerging in part out of the earlier “culture wars”—have stimulated renewed interest in the role of various schools of critical enquiry, ranging from feminism and gender to queer theory, postcolonialism and race to cultural materialism, global studies to eco-criticism, social class to social justice. The essays in this new collection provide a forum for more diverse voices and debates, seeking to explore how to engage with modern social and political issues in transformative can we navigate new thinking about the struggle for social justice while reimagining Shakespeare's role in a rapidly changing political cultural landscape?How does Shakespeare's work intersect with modern political anxieties such as the politics of "woke" and cultural panic?In terms of rethinking identity and human agency, what do Shakespeare’s characters reveal or obscure about today’s debates on race, gender, and social justice?With regard to censorship, safety, and emancipation how should educators approach potentially sensitive content in a way that respects both free speech and inclusivity?To what extent does working with Shakespeare involve global perspectives and postcolonial insights that might contribute to decolonizing the curriculum?How do new platforms, social media conversations, and digital adaptations shape our engagement with Shakespearean texts?Featuring feminist reinterpretations, queer temporalities, global perspectives and postcolonial adaptations/appropriations, WOKE SHAKESPEARE challenges readers to reconsider Shakespeare’s current contribution to twenty-first-century culture. It is an essential resource for educators, performers, and scholars who wish to grapple with Shakespeare’s contested legacy and explore innovative approaches to his works in an era of political struggle and social transformation.
Whether embracing, resisting, or reinterpreting "woke" ideologies, this book aims to foster a civilized and critical dialogue about Shakespeare’s enduring influence in a world that is constantly redefining itself in line with controversial new ideas about social justice.

“deftly catapults works of The Great Bard into our current historical moment shaped by the notion of “wokeness” and the identity politics of political correctness. Exploring topics ranging from eco-criticism, postcolonialism, queer theory, global studies, social justice, cultural materialism, and more, this book will radically re-shape the myriad ways in which we read Shakespeare today. Required reading for those interested in drawing thematic and ideological threads from Shakespeare’s words and time into the dawning of our precarious 21st century.”
--- Dr Rahul K Gairola, Krishna Somers Senior Lecturer in English and Postcolonial Literature (Murdoch University, Australia); Principal Fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre (IPRC).

"Woke Shakespeare is a diligent, well-researched exploration of the contested anti-woke discourse, advocating for reclaiming Woke Studies as a form of critical scholarship. ...

267 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2024

About the author

Ian McCormick, M.A. (St Andrews); PhD (Leeds), served as a Professor in the School of the Arts at the University of Northampton.
Most recent novel: CLASS AND CLOISTER: THE ST ANDREWS CORRESPONDENCE.
Awards and Prizes: King James VI Prize (St Andrews); Lawson Memorial Prize (St Andrews); British Academy Studentship (UK).
Published academic books/chapters in various fields: sexuality and gender studies; modern and postmodern literature; teaching and learning strategies; drama education and critical theory.
My work has been featured on the BBC (Radio and TV); in the Times Literary Supplement, The Observer, The Guardian, Time Out (London), and in academic journals.
Dr McCormick organized two major international conferences for the British Society for Eighteenth-century Studies (St John’s College, University of Oxford) and two International Community Film Festivals. He lives in Birmingham.

Reviews

[Ed Heinzelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't meant for the casual or median Shakespeare fan. It is highly academic and even for this theater critic, I was often in over my head. This is a collection of intense essays from a number of different scholars so there are a many different viewpoints expressed here. And each essay has full citations so you can dig deeper if you so desire. But I got lost any number of times and had to reread a number of pages to get the gist. And I wasn't familiar with many of the writers or performances used as examples which also left me a bit adrift at times. But for those into the deep dive or serious Shakespeare scholars or instructors, have at it!