(in german only)
We usually imagine the clown as a circus clown with a red ball on his nose, the “smallest mask in the world”. However, the history of the clown figure goes much further back than that of the circuses created in the 18th century. It is the expression of a complex interweaving of socio-political, theatrical, historical, bodily and gender discourses. The contributors to this volume, including internationally renowned clowns (Leo Bassi, Dimitri, Oleg Popow and others), present contemporary artistic positions on the clown as a “form of play” on the one hand, and the theoretical perspectives of various scientific disciplines on the other.
So far neglected by research, the clown proves to be a paradigmatic figure in the history of culture.