Street Theatre: Critical Pedagogy for Social Studies Education

This paper aims at exploring the usefulness of street theatre as critical pedagogy in teaching of social studies education. It gives a brief background of street-theatre and its linkages with critical pedagogy. In the light of theoretical underpinnings of this arts-based pedagogy, the paper deliberates upon the relevance and efficacy of street theatre in a social studies classroom. This paper uses a street theatre performance case to look at the techniques such as: body motion, body work, props, use of visual and audio aids, etc.; processes such as: conscientization and catharsis; and dialogical approach employed by street theatre to bring awareness about socio-political and cultural issues prevalent in a society. The analysis of this performance act shows that street theatre successfully encourages spectators or the oppressed masses to reflect, and triggers action in them to come out of socio-political oppression. When looked at from educational perspective, street theatre encourages the employment of multiple-intelligences of both students and teachers; and therefore, it can be one innovative strategy to make students aware of the issues infecting their society and also to empower students for action