Why should we study Arabic theatre?

Arabic theatre, as an academic discipline is one of the most understudied genres. Despite its rich and sophisticated history, theatre failed to capture the intellectual attention of scholars in Arabic Cultural Studies or Literary Translation Studies. In this manifesto, I argue that Arabic Theatre Studies face dual barriers due to global and local forces that contributed to positioning theatre at the periphery of scholarly interest. While Arabic theatre has just recently entered Global Theatre Studies, theatre in the region is still struggling to claim a ‘high rank’ in what I call the Arabic Literary Hierarchical System. My call to change this position is not limited to reiterate my colleagues’ call to decolonize Theatre Studies by including understudied theatres of the Global South. Rather, I call for bringing this system into the debate about the unpopularity of the field, proposing small, yet influential, steps to centre theatre in our academic interests