A Critical History of the Indian Circus

Aastha Gandhi teaches theatre and performance coursework for graduate programmes at the School of Culture and Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University Delhi, India. Her recently published essays include: 'Indian Circus: a Melting Pot of Migrant Artists, Performativity, and Race' (The Palgrave Handbook of Theatre and Migration, Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) and 'The Indo-Soviet Circus Exchange amidst the Cold War: a State Propaganda or a People's Art Form?' (Performing the Cold War in the Postcolonial World: Theatre, Film, Literature, and Things, 2023). A researcher and performer, Aastha's research engages with the circus, networks, law, and discourses of the performing body. A degree in law adds to her multi- faceted, inter-disciplinary approach to performance research.