In this episode of our new mini-series Examples, Ciara Eichhorst, the American Examples Fellow and a masters student in our department, discusses the topic of mesmerism, ridicule, and the corpse of an alleged mermaid with Dr. Joshua Urich. Dr. Urich received his PhD at the University of Texas-Austin and is a visiting assistant professor of religion at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. His chapter, “Truth is Never Ridiculous: Social Territory and the Cartography of Ridicule” will be published in the forthcoming third volume of American Examples. You can read more about American Examples at https://www.americanexamples.ua.edu.