In the continuing series titled Adventures in Circus Research curated by academic, author, and educator Alisan Funk, we will explore the depth and breadth of circus academic research around the world. By featuring circus researchers, we give them the space to explain the nature and significance of their research directly to the circus community, and to highlight the practical impact of their research on the circus world.

Dr. Gillian Arrighi has approached Australian circus history from a breadth of perspectives. She has traced the important events and players of the past in Australia and New Zealand. She has compared circus histories with other performance genres (Sumo, theatre, amusement parks, variety shows, etc.), and she has tried to understand the situation of child performers within the traditional circus. She is also dedicated to understanding current circus practices. She has written comparisons of traditional and contemporary values in circus arts, explored the importance of community and social circus practices, and has questioned the field of circus studies itself. She is the editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to the Circus, is the senior editor of the journal Popular Entertainment Studies (...