Hot Dog! Hot Dog! Hot Dog! Hot Diggity Dog!

My name is Dori. I've been studying Disneyland all my life, and in 2010, I made it official. While I was a student in Pacifica Graduate Institute's Mythological Studies with emphasis in Depth Psychology program, I was called by an experience at Disneyland to explore Disneyland as a temple to American mythology. My research explores the stories of The Walt Disney Company's original park. I explore and comment on how people find meaning at Disneyland. I seek to understand how people make meaning in that place. And I analyze what it says about culture from an archetypal/mythic perspective. I like to call myself a Disney apologist, as I hold the tension between positive and negatives of the space. My work tends to call out negatives through calling in Disney's myth-themes of love, tolerance, and acceptance. Through that perspective, I call Disney to see through their policies and make choices in the future that truly embody the stories they claim to hold sacred. And yes, I'm aware that it's idealistic. And yes, I'm aware it will never fully happen. But, I am not just a scholar, I am also an advocate for positive change. So, there you go.

Here's my professional website. It's a work in progress.

www.dorikoehler.com