Mattering the Invisible: Technologies, Bodies, and the Realm of the Spectral
An academic anthology exploring how human minds and modern machines capture invisible spirits, UFOs, and spectral forces.
This volume brings together international scholars to examine how paranormal entities intertwine with technology. The contributors show that machines and spectral beings are deeply entangled in their definitions rather than separate phenomena. Rather than presenting technologies as mere tools that capture pre-existing ghosts, the authors present contemporary case studies demonstrating how the invisible realm arises through direct technical engagement. The chapters range from psychical research in nineteenth-century spiritualism to modern Polaroid photography, atmospheric climate specters, and radio operation.
Rooted in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century spiritualism, this work spans contemporary practices in the United States, Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Chile, Brazil, and Angola. It situates spectral phenomena directly within modern science and media studies.
Praise for this book
“The volume brings together a heterogenous and international group of scholars who present a wealth of information of different practices of mattering the invisible... makes a significant contribution to anthropology, and offers innovative contributions to those interested in media studies, materiality, science and technology studies.”
“Mattering the Invisible has much to offer religious studies scholars by exemplifying and expanding the possibilities of what constitutes material culture.”
📝 Description: Mattering the Invisible: Technologies, Bodies, and the Realm of the Spectral
📑 What's inside
- List of Figures Acknowledgements
- Introduction: On the Materiality of Unseen Things Diana Espirito Santo and Jack Hunter
- PART I: BODILY SEMANTICS, METAPHOR & MEDIATION
- Chapter 1. Organicism and Mechanism in Psychical Research: Reflections on the Mattering of Spirit Mediumship Jack Hunter
- Chapter 2. Semantics of the Suffering: Torture Technologies and Mediumship in Buenos Aires Miguel Algranti
- Chapter 3. New Media Technologies and the Otherworld in Postsocialist Vietnam Gertrud Hüwelmeier
- Chapter 4. Broken Words: Tools of Oracular Articulacy in Afro-Cuban Divination Anastasios Panagiotopoulos
- PART II: ORDERS OF SOUND, SIGHT, & MEASUREMENT
- Chapter 5. Radioaficionados and UFOs: The Social Life of Radios in Chile Diana Espírito Santo
- Chapter 6. Hospitality and Proof: Human Mediums, Technical Media, and Controversial Knowledge in Ghost Hunting in the United States Ehler Voss
- Chapter 7. Picturing the Unseen: The Role of Polaroid Media in the Remystification of the Western World Andrea Lathrop Ligueros
- PART III: MATTERING INVISIBLE POWERS
- Chapter 8. Specters of Climate and the Construction of Ghostly Realities in Brazil Renzo Taddei
- Chapter 9. Iktomi's Realm: Reanimating the Inanimate in Western Science Anne Dippel
- Chapter 10. Phantom Power: Prophecy, Triangulation and Materialization in Angola Ruy Blanes
- Conclusion: Mediation and Variable Communications Diana Espírito Santo & Jack Hunter
- Index
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
This book offers a profound intellectual journey for readers fascinated by the liminal space where technology intersects with the supernatural. It is particularly valuable for those who seek to understand how modern instruments actively construct rather than merely detect spiritual realities. Readers interested in the ontological status of UFOs, spirits, and subtle energies will find this analysis illuminating. It challenges preconceived notions of reality by revealing how human consciousness and machinery are entangled with spectral presences. If you are curious about the mechanisms behind paranormal perception in a digital age, this text provides a rigorous yet accessible framework for exploring these invisible realms without relying on dogma.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
Santo and Hunter deliver a sophisticated exploration of how technological frameworks shape our perception of the invisible. The argument that machines create rather than observe spectral phenomena is both provocative and well-supported by case studies. However, this academic approach may alienate readers seeking practical magical techniques or straightforward historical accounts of the occult. Those looking for light reading or traditional esoteric instruction might find the theoretical density and focus on scientific instrumentation too dry or abstract. It is best suited for scholars and serious enthusiasts ready to engage with complex philosophical questions about reality and perception in the modern world.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
If you're fascinated by the intersection of technology, spirituality, and the nature of reality, this book offers a paradigm-shifting perspective. It's for anyone who questions how our tools shape our understanding of the unseen, from ghost hunters to critical thinkers pondering the limits of perception.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Technology and Spectral Manifestation
This work posits that our devices and scientific theories aren't neutral observers; rather, they are active participants in manifesting and giving form to unseen entities. It examines how technical apparatuses, far from simply capturing data, play a crucial role in "mattering" spirits, UFOs, and other subtle phenomena into our shared experience, blurring the line between detection and creation.
Ontological Entanglement Explored
The book highlights the deep, reciprocal relationship between human perception, technological intervention, and the nature of invisible beings. It argues that machines, people, and spectral entities are not distinct categories but are profoundly intertwined, co-constituting each other's existence and definition in ways that challenge conventional understandings of reality and agency.
Modern Paranormal Investigations
Through a series of contemporary examples, the book showcases how the exploration of the paranormal has evolved with technological advancements. It illustrates how modern tools and scientific discourse are now central to engaging with and defining phenomena like discarnate entities or atmospheric forces, demonstrating a continuous, evolving dialogue between the spectral and our technological present.
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Mattering into Existence
- Ontological Entanglement
- Spectral Energies
📔 Questions to reflect on
- How has technology shaped your own perceptions of the unseen or spiritual?
- Consider a time when a belief or phenomenon became "real" to you. What role did information or tools play in that process?
- If reality is co-created, what ethical responsibilities do we hold when exploring or attempting to manifest the invisible?
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