Playing at Scientific Inquiry: Liminal hypotyposis and the role of ostension in paranormal investigation performance art

Abstract

Ghost hunting, a ritualistic play experience portrayed as scientific investigation through found footage techniques and documentary style, has been popularized worldwide, primarily through reality TV shows. These performances feature amateur paranormal researchers self-recording their inquiries for a worldwide audience. This thesis presents an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of ghost hunting and its implications for anthropology and theatre. The research examines how ghost hunters develop opportunities for wider viewership on social media and television by looking at published interviews, case studies in the UK and America, media programs, online job listings for ghost hunter television personalities, and discussions of performances by the performers themselves to understand better how they view their acts of play and ritual. Additionally, this thesis explores how audiences who participate in these performances interpret them as entertainment or truthful scientific experimentation. In doing so it will contribute to understanding the relationship between anthropological aspects of play and ritual with dramatic arts of ghost hunting performance, which shape our cultural understanding today.