About the author
M. Brady Brower is the author of Unruly Spirits: The Science of Psychic Phenomena in Modern France, published by University of Illinois Press in 2010. The book is an academic history examining how séances, telepathy, telekinesis, and related parapsychic phenomena were studied in France during the era of Sigmund Freud, and how that research fed into a broader crisis about how to define and verify knowledge - a crisis Brower argues contributed to the French adoption of psychoanalysis. Rather than assessing whether the phenomena themselves were genuine, the book traces the scientific and institutional debates that surrounded their study, drawing on experiments and controversies from the period. Unruly Spirits is aimed at readers interested in the history of science and of psychical research specifically, more than at practitioners or believers in the phenomena it describes.
📖 Where to start with M Brady Brower
💬 What our editors say about M Brady Brower's books
“Brower provides a rigorous historical account that may feel dense to casual readers seeking simple ghost stories or supernatural thrills. This text is not suited for those expecting speculative fiction or unverified paranormal…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Unruly Spirits: The Science of Psychic Phenomena in Modern France
“Brower delivers a dense, academic exploration of French psychical research that demands patience from its audience. While intellectually stimulating for specialists in history of science or psychoanalytic studies, it may…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Unruly Spirits: The Science of Psychic Phenomena in Modern France
