Abstract
This article discusses the emergence of performance studies within the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and the Speech Communication Association (SCA). During recent years, the debate surrounding the emergence of performance studies within the professional organizations, SCA and ATHE, has generated both heat and light. Both debates centered on pragmatic and seminal questions of disciplinary cohesiveness and relevancy; each side in both debates also argued their respective positions from particular interpretations of disciplinary history. In SCA, the issue involved a name change within a large and respected Division: in ATHE, the entire membership was challenged to consider the consequences of shifting membership resources from all units to support a group within the larger body. Certainly all disciplines define themselves through the questions they ask, the arguments encouraged, and the professional channels formed and supported to encourage debate.
Recommended Citation
Shields, R. E. (1994). Disciplinary narratives for change: The emergence of performance studies within ATHE and SCA. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 23(3), 185–191.
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