FPA 317: Performance Studies Research Guide

This guide is intended to be an introduction to finding research materials to support your term paper assignment in performance studies.

If you do not find what you need, please contact Sylvia Roberts, Liaison Librarian for Communication & Contemporary Arts for Contemporary Arts, at sroberts@sfu.ca or SFU Burnaby: 778.782.3681 (Wed, Thurs, alt Fri) *** SFU Vancouver: 778.782.5043 (Mon,Tues, alt Fr) . If I'm not available, you can get help using one of our Ask a Librarian services.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The Belzberg Library at SFU Vancouver has a small print collection of books and current journals. The largest collection of print materials about performance studies will be found at the Bennett Library on the Burnaby campuse, with additional materials in the Fraser Library at SFU Surrey.

YOU CAN REQUEST PRINT MATERIALS FROM OTHER SFU LIBRARIES.

It takes about 2 working days, there's no cost to you and you'll get an email notice when they're ready to be picked up. You will need to use your library card to request and to borrow these materials.

Background sources

As well as your course readings, we have a variety of specialized encyclopedias with information about performance studies, such as:

Sage handbook of performance studies PN 1590 S6 S24 2006
Analyzing performance: a critical reader PN 1590 S26 A52 1996
Analyzing performance : theater, dance, and film PN 1584 P3813 2003
Performance analysis: an introductory coursebook
Theory for performance studies : a student's guide

Oxford Art Online references to performance studies in the context of performance art, theatre and African aesthetics
Oxford Reference Online multidisciplinary collection of sources, including the The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance and the International Encyclopedia of Dance
21st century communication : a reference handbook
Key themes in interpersonal communication: culture, identities and performance
Folklore : an encyclopedia of beliefs, customs, tales, music, and art GR 35 F63 1997
The Harvard dictionary of music performance in the context of improvisation
African folklore: an encyclopedia

Other disciplinary sources may provide useful perspectives on specific aspects of performance studies, such as play (Education, Sociology, Psychology) or ritual (Anthropology, Ethnology, Sociology). SFU Library Research Guides list background resources that can help you understand these perspectives. If you would like assistance finding the right source, Ask a Librarian.

Finding books & articles

FastSearch is SFU Library's new tool for searching for books & articles at the same time. It searches library catalogue records and selected collections of full text journal articles. It is not a comprehensive search but it can be a helpful starting place.

Performance studies is not a standard subject heading in the Library catalogue so you will need to be a bit creative when searching for books. Other useful search terms include:

Performance (especially combined with "philosophy", "semiotics", "social aspects", "political aspects")
Performance theory
Performance art
Performative (Philosophy)
Performativity
Performing arts
Experimental theater

Use these terms in keyword searches to find examples of scholarly studies of performance, such as:

Intercultural performance handbook
Contesting performance: global sites of research
Theatre and performance in digital culture: from simulation to embeddedness
Mapping landscapes for performance as research : scholarly acts and creative cartographies
Theories of performance BF 481 B375 2008
Avant-garde performance : live events and electronic technologies PN 2193 E86 B47 2005

Article indexes

Article indexes will provide you with the ability to search for articles published in both print and electronic journals. This is important because some significant content may not be available in digital form. The Where can I get this? llink in the journal indexes enable you to find digital copies of articles, if available at SFU, and to request copies of print articles from the Bennett (SFU Burnaby) or Fraser (SFU Surrey) libraries.

International Index to the Performing Arts
Multidisciplinary index to journals for the performing arts (drama, theater, dance, film, television).

Humanities & Social Sciences Index
Covers basic periodicals on all social sciences and humanities topics.

Combined Search: Communication Abstracts and Communication and Mass Media Complete
Search all the records in Communication Abstracts and Communication and Mass Media Complete at the same time, using fields common to both databases.

Music Index
Index to reviews and journal articles on all aspects of music.

Art Bibliographies Modern

Modern & contemporary art

Art Full Text [formerly known as Art Index]

All aspects and periods of art.

MLA International Bibliography

Bibliographic index to journal articles, books and dissertations. Subjects covered include language, literature, linguistics, literary theory & criticism, dramatic arts, printing and publishing.

Sociological Abstracts

Theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and policy science.

Searchable collections of full text:

Project MUSE Search

Full text articles from scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences.

JSTOR

Searchable, archival collection of core scholarly arts, humanities and social sciences journals.

Google Scholar