How did the concept of the avant-garde come into existence? How did it impact on the performing arts? How did the avant-garde challenge the artistic establishment and avoid the pull of commercial theatre, gallery and concert-hall circuits? How did performance artists respond to new technological developments? Placing key figures and performances in their historical, social and aesthetic context, Gunter Berghaus offers an accessible introduction to post-war avant-garde performance. Written in a clear, engaging style, and supported by text boxes and illustrations throughout, this volume explains the complex ideas behind avant-garde art and evocatively brings to life the work of some of its most influential performance artists. Covering hot topics such as multi-media and body art performances, this text is essential reading for students of theatre studies and performance.

"Gunter Berghaus's "Theatre, Performance, and the Historical Avant-Garde" has the potential to become a crucial point of departure for the next generation of theatre scholars. At the very least, it will be an invaluable point of reference for anyone studying the experimental practices of the historical European avant-garde. Berghaus's book is written with exceptional clarity and with an admirable devotion to historical detail. It is meticulously researched and will be of interest to both beginning and advanced scholars of the theatrical avant-garde."--James Martin Harding, University of Mary Washington

This study traces the origins of European modernism in Nineteenth-century Paris, examining every major avant-garde movement that sprung from this epicentre in the early Twentieth century: Expressionism, Dadaism, etc. In this wide-ranging overview Berghaus demonstrates a mastery of primary and secondary sources in several different languages.

All up-to-date aspects of DNA technology are discussed partly in review lectures but mostly in research articles in this volume: new methods, population statistics for different restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP's), new developments dealing with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), biostatistical aspects of single locus and multi locus profiles as well as examples of practical applications in paternity testing and forensic stain analysis. Contributors to this volume include most internationally acclaimed researchers in this field. Besides facts that are primarily of interest to forensic scientists, immunohaematologists and human geneticists should also find some aspects for their research.