Global Shakespeares in World Markets and Archives

An Introduction to the Special Issue

Authors

Alexa Alice Joubin George Washington University

Abstract

Shakespeare is a local force to be reckoned with in the global marketplace and in digital and analog archives of collective memory. With the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth in 2014 and quatercentenary in 2016, there are several high-profile instances of global Shakespeare being tapped for its market value. The exchange value of Shakespeare is reflected in uses of Shakespearean themes and artifacts in appropriations, cultural diplomacy, and venues where nation states project soft power. There are no world markets without the proliferation of archives built on collective cultural memory. Conversely, there would be no archives without the cultural marketplace to validate that Shakespearean artifacts are archive-worthy in the first place.

Author Biography

Alexa Alice Joubin, George Washington University

Alexa Alice Joubin teaches at George Washington University, where she is founding co-director of its Digital Humanities Institute. Her forthcoming books include Cinematic Allusions to Shakespeare: International Appropriations (edited collection; Palgrave) and Local and Global Myths in Shakespearean Performance (co-edited; Palgrave).