Title
Spirit Mediums in Hong Kong and the United States
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
3-2014
Department 1
Sociology
Abstract
Book Summary: Talking With the Spirits is a cross-cultural survey of contemporary spirit mediumship. The diverse contributions to this volume cover a wide-range of ethnographic contexts, from Spiritualist séances in the United Kingdom to self-mortification rituals in Singapore and Taiwan, from psychedelic spirit incorporation in the Amazonian rainforest, to psychic readings in online social spaces, and more. By taking a broad perspective the book highlights both the variety of culturally specific manifestations of spirit communication, and key cross-cultural features suggestive of underlying core-processes and experiences. Rather than attempting to reduce or dismiss such experiences, the authors featured in this collection take the experiences of their informants seriously and explore their effects at personal, social and cultural levels.
Recommended Citation
Emmons, Charles F. "Spirit Pediums in Hong Kong and the United States." Talking with the Spirits: Ethnographies from Between the Worlds. Eds. Jack Hunter and David Luke (Daily Grail Publishing, 2014), 301-323.
Comments
Original version is available from the publisher at: http://www.dailygrail.com/spirit-world/2014/3/talking-the-spirits-ethnographies-between-the-worlds