The alien abduction phenomenon has garnered considerable media attention
in the last fifteen years, including many representations in books, film, and
television. An overview of significant abduction literature is presented.
Contrasts and comparisons are noted between popular written accounts and
both the visual representations they engender and reports outside the
mainstream, such as those compiled and statistically compared by folklorists.
Also considered are comparisons between popular fictionalizations of victims of
abduction and the relevant psychological literature on this population. Theories
bordering on the psycho-spiritual and New Age are briefly introduced in regards
to their connection to UFO phenomena and the popular belief in a changing
collective consciousness. Throughout, it is argued that most forms of cultural
production featuring themes of alien abduction, being subject to marketplace
demand, alter or fictionalize their source content for dramatic purposes. This
popularization and commodification of anomalous phenomena negatively
impacts serious study by encouraging dismissive attitudes towards evidence,
reports, and those individuals involved, informants, victims, and investigators.
This commodification thus serves to protect the status quo, in the form of a
consensus reality, from challenges by unknown or anomolous phenomena. / Graduation date: 1999
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/36756 |
| Date | 10 August 1998 |
| Creators | Bryan, Frederick Clark |
| Contributors | Lewis, Jon |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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