Against the Flows of Theory: Expanding the Ghost with Japanese Noh

This article reevaluates the unidirectionality of theory, in which Western-originated theoretical frameworks are applied to global case studies. I consider the ways in which this unidirectionality may limit key concepts in our field. Arguing for putting global performance forms in dialogue with existing theories, I turn to the Japanese Noh ghost. Comparing the Noh ghost to theories of the spectral, based almost exclusively on the ghost in Hamlet, I identify the certainty of its appearance as a unique attribute that shapes how it operates as an interpretive framework. The Noh ghost, unquestioned and arriving with clear motives, focuses our attention on the spectral entity that appears, deprivileging present and human-centered perspectives and prompting spectator inquiry on behalf of it.