“But They’re Nothing Like Us!” A Pedagogic Approach to Shakespearean Drama in Kuwait

Abstract

This paper considers teaching British canonical texts such as William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the Moor of Venice in multicultural settings. The author discusses her experiences with teaching Shakespearean drama to a group of undergraduate students who are not essentially interested in Western texts. Making connections to the students’ immediate lives proves to be essential in drawing the students into a more active learning environment that brings Shakespearean texts closer to home. By localizing Shakespeare’s text, the students were able to find literary value that resonates with their own lived experiences. The classroom thus becomes a place of safety and finding one’s voice both
inside and outside the classroom.