Concerning Theory for Performance Studies

Richard Schechner, Talia Rodgers, Claire L’Enfant, Judith Butler, Marvin Carlson, Tracy C. Davis, David Savran, Shannon Jackson, Branislav Jakovljevic, Jill Dolan, Phillip Zarrilli, W.B. Worthen, Joseph Roach and Peggy Phelan

Abstract

In 007, Routledge published Theory for Performance Studies as part of its Theory 4 series, listing Philip Auslander as author. When, in August, The Chronicle of Higher Education revealed that much of the book was lifted word-for-word from the template for the series, Theory for Religious Studies by Timothy K. Beal and William E. Deal, TDR editor Richard Schechner convened via email and phone conversations a “TDR Forum,” asking leaders in the field to respond to the book and the series. Schechner and other respondents address issues of plagiarism, corporate takeovers of academic publishing, and the dumbing down of performance studies, asking why a notable scholar such as Auslander would undertake such an egregious piece of “scholarship.” Deal and Beal answer some questions put to them by Schechner, and Routledge’s Claire L’Enfant and Talia Rodgers offer their perspectives.

The abstract does not do justice to the mess that the commentators are discussing.

Thankfully some of the various commentators recognize this (really crazy) incident not as an oddball mistake but as a symptom of the deeply compromising changes unfolding in (commercial) scholarly publishing.  One need not read every word of the TDR piece to get the general picture of the mess that the enclosed and for-profit scholarly communication system is getting all the disciplines into.  This Routledge case is another bit of evidence that interdisciplinary cultural studies fields seem particularly vulnerable to certain kinds of dangerous (and profitable) fooling around.

For open access advocates, the lessons will be transparent. Yikes.