Science, History, Theatre

Until recently, positivism reigned supreme in theatre historiography. Since the mid-1970s, however, other approaches have contested this orthodoxy, criticizing positivism on varying grounds. Lately such attacks have become more frequent and intense.' Two approaches stand out as major alternatives to positivism: conventionalism and realism. However, the differences between their critiques are not always understood, and in their common efforts to end positivism important issues have sometimes fallen by the wayside. The conventionalist approach currently dominates antipositivist literary, cultural, and historical analysis in Europe and North America, and has fostered important contributions to theatre historiography. I will argue, however, that the conventionalist critique of positivism is in certain respects inadequate and misdirected, and that as a result its logic and values lack coherence. In contrast, realist philosophy offers an antipositivist approach to theatre history that retains the strengths of both conventionalism and positivism while eliminating their shortcomings

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Epistemology · Positivism · Sociology · Philosophy · Theater, Performance, and Music History · Theatre and Performance Studies

• Falsifiable Theories for Theatre and Performance Studies

  Bruce A Mcconachie, Bruce Mcconachie•Theatre Journal•2007

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