About the author
Mai Lan Gustafsson is the author of War and Shadows: The Haunting of Vietnam, published by Cornell University Press. The book examines spirit possession among Vietnamese communities, drawing on fieldwork and interviews to trace how war trauma is expressed and processed through beliefs about wandering or vengeful spirits. Reviewers have noted the account's nuance and sympathy in handling a subject that sits at the intersection of anthropology, religion, and the aftermath of conflict. The work is grounded in Vietnamese cultural and religious traditions around ancestor worship and the dead, and situates possession practices within lived experience rather than treating them as curiosities. It is written for readers with an interest in Southeast Asian religion, the anthropology of war, and spirit belief as a form of collective memory, and it is used in academic settings as well as by general readers drawn to serious, research-based accounts of spiritualism outside the Western tradition.
📖 Where to start with Mai Lan Gustafsson
💬 What our editors say about Mai Lan Gustafsson's books
“Gustafsson provides a compelling, albeit heavy, look at the intersection of war trauma and spirit worship. While the ethnographic details are rigorous and the subject matter vital for understanding Vietnamese spiritual…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on War and Shadows
“Gustafsson delivers a compelling ethnography that illuminates the spiritual repercussions of the Vietnam War with academic rigor and cultural sensitivity. However, this text is not suitable for readers seeking light entertainment…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on War and Shadows: The Haunting of Vietnam
