This project will unfold amongst a group of young rural women, many of whom are first-generation literate persons, who are enrolled in a Skill & Career Development program in Himachal Pradesh. The intention is to enable a creative, playful and safe space for this group of women to experience and learn political theatre and as well as reclaim a deep and resourceful sense of agency by experiencing and learning nature-based and body-conscious related practices. The project echoes a conceptual shift in the association of ‘Education’ as a cognitive process to a versatile and robust understanding of quality education characterized by critical thought & embodied action. An interdisciplinary approach will be adopted, with a focus on Theatre of the Oppressed and Embodied Therapeutic Practices. This work will co-produce a set of experiences and knowledge which is likely to result in the development of a new set of processes. As an outcome, each participant would have an enhanced ability to engage with and reflect on socio-political realities, hence equipping them with perspectives to bring about social change. Each participant would have an enhanced sense of relationship with the Self, one’s body and nature. Some of them would also be equipped to be facilitators of this body of work. The workshops and processes will be video documented and disseminated amongst educator & social sector worker networks.
Key Words: Theater of the Oppressed, Embodied Therapeutic Practices, Gender
Key Themes:
Gender Identities, Social Transformation
Project Site:
Palampur, Himachal Pradesh
Principal Investigator:
Arundathi Vishwanath
