Sruti Bala, born 1973 in Lucknow in India, is currently completing her doctorate at the International PhD Programme "Performance and Media Studies" at the University of Mainz. In her dissertation she deals with the performativity of nonviolent protest in 20th century South Asia. She was a fellow of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, German Ecumenical Services, DAAD and Mainz University. She teaches at the Study Forum Berlin and works in the disciplines of Peace Studies and Cultural Studies. She has experience as a facilitator in participatory theatre methods, particularly with the forum theatre group rabenschwarz in Berlin. Sruti completed her postgraduation in German literature from the University of Bonn and then worked for two years as project co-ordinator of the Voices Without Frontiers network at the European section of AMARC, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters in Sheffield, UK.

contact: sruti.bala (at) sabisa.de

Publications:

2007 (forthcoming):

-- "The Dramaturgy of Fasting in Gandhian Nonviolent Action", in: Balme, C. et al (eds.): Performing the Matrix. Conference Proceedings. E-Podium, Series: Intervisions, Munich.

-- "Embodying Autonomy. Gandhi's Fasts as a Form of Nonviolent Protest", in: Sylvain, D. et al (eds.): Peace: Aesthetics of an Ethics. Concordia University Press, Montreal.

"Khudai Khidmatgar: Nonviolent Army of the Pashtuns," entry in Encyclopaedia of Protest and Revolution in World History, 5 vols., New York.

2006:

-- Konzepte engagierten Schreibens. Logos Verlag, Berlin.

-- "Theater im emotionalen Minenfeld. Darstellende Kunst in der Konfliktbearbeitung," co-authored with Reich, H. and Baumann, T., in World Peace Service (eds.): peace prints, 11/2006, supplement to die tageszeitung, Berlin.

2005:

-- "I like women like me! Palestinian women bring sexuality onto the agenda", in: CounterCurrents October 2005

2004:

-- "Why Performance Studies should be interested in non-violent action", in: Balme, C. / Wagner, M. (eds.): Beyond Aesthetics. Studies in Performance and Media, Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Trier, pp. 101-110.

-- "Handeln in der Fremde - entfremdetes Handeln. Reflexionen der Berliner Forumtheatergruppe rabenschwarz", co-authored with Reich, H./ Leucht, C. in: Wieland, H. (ed.): Theater im Dialog: heiter, aufmüpfig und demokratisch - Deutsche und europäische Anwendungen des Theaters der Unterdrückten. Ibidem Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 207-220.

2003:

-- "Kunst und Konflikt. Eine kritische Betrachtung," co-authored with Reich, H. in World Peace Service (eds.): peace prints, 01/2003, supplement to die tageszeitung, Berlin.

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