‘Captured, Examined & Returned: The Folklore of Alien Abductions’ Will Be Focus of Conversation with Smithsonian Curator Jim Deutsch on Monday, July 31

Folklore follows formulas and conventions that govern the folksongs, the folk art and the folktales and legends people share. Many of the personal accounts of being abducted by aliens follow a three-part formulaic structure: captured by aliens; examined by aliens; and then returned to pre-abduction status, often with lasting memories of the encounter.

All of these encounters will be the focus of the free online presentation “Captured, Examined & Returned: The Folklore of Alien Abductions” that will be led by Smithsonian Curator Jim Deutsch from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 31. The presentation from Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., will use a folkloric framework to analyze some alien-abduction narratives and will discuss what function(s) they serve.

To register to participate in the conversation, go to Meeting Registration - Zoom.

Mr. Deutsch is a curator and editor at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C., where he has helped plan and develop public programs on the Peace Corps, Hungary, China, Circus Arts, Apollo Theater, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Mekong River, U.S. Forest Service, World War II, Silk Road, and White House workers.

Mr. Deutsch also serves as an adjunct professor—teaching courses on American film history and folklore—in the American Studies Department at George Washington University. He has taught American Studies classes at universities in Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Poland and Turkey.