Editing Shakespeare's Othello

FAIN: HB-282116-22

Patricia Akhimie
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark (Newark, NJ 07104-3010)

Research and writing leading to a new edition of Shakespeare’s Othello to be published as part of the Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series. 

An edition of Othello for the Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series, the internationally recognized scholarly standard of excellence in Shakespeare editions, and one of the first to be edited by a woman of color. Othello has a great deal to teach us about the work of language in the production of racist thinking and the creation and perpetuation of damaging stereotypes. Grounded in critical race theory, this edition addresses the dichotomy between an increasingly diverse readership and a relatively homogenous group of mediators, including editors and critics, endowed with the privilege of deciphering and disseminating Shakespeare’s plays. Projected to be one the best-selling plays in the series, slated to be distributed in print and digital editions, and designed to reach an even wider readership amongst high school and undergraduate students, as well as scholars, this edition—now under contract—is positioned to change scholarship and teaching for decades to come.