Kulturowy przekaz syreningu – zarys definicji oraz perspektywy dalszych badań tego zjawiska
Cultural transmission of mermaiding – an outline of the definition and perspectives for further research on this phenomenon

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the presented article is to familiarize the reader with the relatively new and still little studied phenomenon of mermaiding (diving in a mermaid tail, an activity that combines sport with a form of art and entertainment) in Polish research. The text is primarily an attempt to categorize topics relating to the cultural narrative (mainly in media) focused around this phenomenon, taking into account the concept of choreography understood as an element of the “spectacle text” (Patrice Pavis). The idea of such a comparison results from the desire to view the points of intersection of show choreographic practices with other fields (sports) from the perspective of social and cultural communication. The basic research method of the proposed discourse is a case study. A holistic view of mermaiding (analysis of narratives of leading mermaid performers, review of fan forums, film documentaries about the merfolk subculture) allows us to see how broad a cultural area is currently defined by the figure (and costume) of a mermaid. Therefore the research impulse to ask further questions about the place of mermaiding in the conceptual field of blue humanities.

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