Analytical Study of the Research Gap in Performativity Theory as Applied to Nigerian Ritual Drama

Performativity theory, developed primarily by Judith Butler and adapted broadly in performance studies, offers significant analytical potential for understanding how Nigerian ritual drama constructs and challenges social identities, yet its systematic application to Nigerian ritual performance is underrepresented in theatre scholarship. This study analytically examined the research gap in applying performativity theory to Nigerian ritual drama through systematic literature review and primary theoretical analysis. A systematic scoping review of ten databases identified 34 publications applying performativity frameworks to African ritual performance from 2018 to 2024, of which only 9 specifically engaged Nigerian materials. Most Nigerian ritual performance scholarship applied structuralist or functionalist frameworks rather than performativity analysis. Original theoretical analysis applied performativity frameworks to three documented Nigerian ritual drama forms: Igbo Mmonwu masquerade, Yoruba Egungun performance, and Tiv Kwagh-hir puppet theatre. Analysis demonstrated that performativity theory productively illuminated gender construction in Mmonwu through male impersonation practices, ancestral identity construction in Egungun, and political-social commentary through Kwagh-hir character types. The analysis also identified limitations of Western performativity frameworks when applied uncritically to communitarian performance epistemologies. The study proposes an African Ritual Performance Performativity Framework integrating communal agency alongside individual performativity. Recommendations include theory-building research seminars bringing together Nigerian performance scholars and feminist performance theorists, and doctoral research programmes specifically addressing theoretical frameworks for Nigerian ritual performance.

Keywords: performativity theory, Nigerian ritual drama, performance studies, research gap, theatre theory