“Oh my, they just need a drag queen”. Social change through emotions and storytelling in extracultural drag performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/PS/2026/75.2/2Keywords:
drag performance, drag queen, social change, emotions, storytelling, extracultural performanceAbstract
In Poland, the art of drag is emerging in new spaces and entering mainstream culture. Drag performances are not only a form of artistic expression but can also serve as a way of demonstrating the social and cultural values of the queer community. They may become a tool of emancipation and a means of activist engagement. The primary objective of this article is to provide an analysis of extracultural drag performance through the theoretical framework of Jeffrey Alexander’s macro-sociological model of social action as a form of cultural performance. The study is based on qualitative research, comprising in-depth individual interviews with non-binary people, men, and women who perform on the Polish drag scene. Extracultural drag performance is directed at people outside the queer community and aims to draw attention to the social issues faced by non-normative individuals. Artists perceive drag performances as a tool for social change and as a medium through which they can communicate the meaning of their social situation to others. Extracultural drag performance serves to shape social awareness and initiate discursive processes, contributing to the redefinition of social imaginaries concerning queer people and provoking reflection on the mechanisms of exclusion.
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