Surveilling the skies: a sociological analysis of the unidentified flying object discourse in american society

Baez, Kandace L (2022) Surveilling the skies: a sociological analysis of the unidentified flying object discourse in american society. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

The unidentified flying object (UFO) phenomenon has survived marginalization by developing within and challenging the discourses of politics, science, and religion in a very specific historicity. Using the Foucauldian concept of discourse and utilizing Critical Theory as a frame to analyze the development of the UFO phenomenon in America, I seek to explain how the shift in society from modernity to postmodernity enabled the UFO to transform into its own object while also creating its own concepts and system of power by borrowing ideas from politics, science, and religion, and transforming them into its own discourse. It is in this particular historical context that the UFO phenomenon was able to advance from marginalized knowledge to mainstream discourses regardless of criticism and ridicule. Keywords: unidentified flying objects; UAP; politics; science; religion; modernity; postmodernity; sociology; Critical Theory; Foucault; discourse; knowledge; power

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Unidentified flying objects; UAP; Post-modernity; Sociology; Critical theory; Foucault;
Subjects:	T Technology > TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Sociology and Social Work
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2022 16:49
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2022 16:49
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5843

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