Are you curious about mermaids? Are they real or pure myth? In this talk, Peter Goggin will discuss realms of science, myth, popular culture, metaphor, and notions of the “reality” of merfolk.
The question "are mermaids real?" would appear on the surface fairly straightforward to answer, at least for those more inclined to base belief on verifiable facts and scientific evidence of phenomena. As such, this question posed by the USA’s National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration appears to be rhetorical rather than designed to elicit an actual answer. But a deeper analysis of popular culture and scientific discourse reveals that the mermaid question is far more complicated. Mermaid/merfolk lore, myth, hoax, imagery, consumerism, and lifestyle are significant and pervasive tropes in popular culture. Differentiating between crypto-science, fiction, and fact is an important contribution to a critical understanding and appreciation for various historical and contemporary constructs of Merfolk in society and their relevance to reflections on relations interactions on and between humans and nature, and imagination and reality. In this talk, Peter Goggin will discuss how overlapping realms of science, prediction, myth, popular culture, and metaphor, and notions of the “reality” of merfolk are far more fluid than they may seem at first glance.
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