POSTAVENIE A KLASIFIKÁCIA DRAGU V DIELACH DRAMATICKÝCH UMENÍ
THE STATUS AND CLASSIFICATION OF DRAG IN THE WORKS OF DRAMATIC ART

Summary/Abstract: In the history of the dramatic arts, it is a frequent phenomenon that characters of one sex are played by actors of the opposite sex. This phenomenon is found in cultures all over the world, with its roots probably lying in the spiritual practices of ancient cultures. The term drag, based on Polari language, is currently used to name this practice. In the light of the theories associated with rituals, the mask, and the concept of liminality, it can be stated that a person who is in drag is entering a liminal phase between the masculine and feminine worlds. This state allows the person to free himself/herself from gender stereotypes that limit the freedom and authenticity of personal expression. The intention of this paper is to present the historical development of drag and its function in human society and in the dramatic arts environment. The issue of drag in the dramatic arts has been mostly marginalised in scientific literature. The occasional works that have dealt with it have mostly not traced the distinct nature of individual manifestations, but have examined drag as an internally homogeneous phenomenon. Our work presents an internal classification of drag in the dramatic arts, with an ambition of better understanding the individual manifestations of drag, tracing their historical development and their socio-artistic function.

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