The fields of critical disability studies and global Shakespeare have a great deal to say to each other, which is why we are creating this opportunity for an interdisciplinary dialogue and reflection.

     This year’s Shakespearean International Yearbook focuses on the theme of global disability performances of Shakespeare. Curated by Katherine Schaap Williams, this cluster of articles attends to the global turn in critical disability studies by expanding the history of Shakespearean performance in India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Poland, Russia, and the Arabian Peninsula.

     Thinking beyond the Western framework enables a more inclusive, and expansive, perspective on the diverse ways in which disability aesthetics affect disability politics and on the question of what “counts” as disability representation. When they transcend the “nation,” critical tools from disability studies are more effective in aiding our deconstruction of ableist erasure of human variation.

     Studies of global performance can further enrich our understanding of disability representation by mobilizing a range of local histories and theatrical traditions. Ultimately, examining disability performances in relation to glocal definitions of alterity fosters culturally and politically nuanced visions of deploying Shakespeare in service of social justice.