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Trance Mediums and New Media: Spirit Possession in the Age of Technical Reproduction — Spiritualism

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Trance Mediums and New Media: Spirit Possession in the Age of Technical Reproduction

Name: Trance Mediums and New Media: Spirit Possession in the Age of Technical Reproduction
Price: 125.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780823253807

✍️ Heike Behrend, Anja Dreschke, Martin Zillinger

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This groundbreaking study delves into the often-overlooked ecstatic and communal dimensions of religious experience, particularly spirit possession and trance, which are experiencing a global resurgence. Challenging prevailing academic narratives that neglect these 'orgiastic' qualities of faith, the authors explore how contemporary media technologies—from broadcasting to digital platforms—not only document but actively reshape and propagate these profound spiritual phenomena. It offers a vital interdisciplinary lens, bridging sociology of religion, anthropology, and media studies to reveal the intricate dance between spiritual traditions and the technological age.

Behrend, Heike; , Dreschke, Anja; , Zillinger, Martin

📚 all books by this author (2) →

🕊️

Spiritualism

Praise for this book

“Trance Mediums and New Media is a highly significant intervention in the growing literature on religion and media. Unusual in its comparative, interdisciplinary character, the volume deals with a broad range of case-studies - including, amongst others, Sufi, Pentecostal, shamanic and Hindu communities - and drawn from geographical regions as diverse as Mali, Vietnam and Germany.”

— Joel Cabrita, University of Cambridge

🏛 Fordham University Press 📅 2014 📖 392 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9780823253807

Fun Fact

This is a truly insightful academic journey that fills a significant void in religious studies and media theory. Behrend, Dreschke, and Zillinger brilliantly demonstrate how ancient spiritual practices are not only surviving but thriving through modern technological lenses. While its scholarly depth might be less accessible for those seeking purely practical spiritual guidance, it's indispensable for anyone interested in the sociology of religion, cultural anthropology, or the evolving relationship between spirituality and technology. A vital contribution to understanding our digitally interconnected, yet deeply spiritual, world.

📝 Description: Trance Mediums and New Media: Spirit Possession in the Age of Technical Reproduction

Ongoing debates about the "return of religion" have paid little attention to the orgiastic and enthusiastic qualities of religiosity, despite a significant increase in the use of techniques of trance and possession around the globe. Likewise, research ...

📑 What's inside

I. Media-Techniques of Trance
1) Erhard Schüttpelz (Siegen): Trance Mediums and New Media: The Heritage of a European Term
2) Rosalind C. Morris (New York): On the Subject of Spirit Mediumship in the Age of New Media
3) Ute Holl (Basel): Trance Techniques, Cinema, and Cybernetics
4) Anja Dreschke (Siegen): Possession Play: On Trance Rituals and Impersonation Among the Cologne Tribes
II. Mediation and Circulation of Trance Mediums/Media
1) Dorothea Schulz (Cologne): Transmitting Divine Grace: On the Materiality of Charismatic Mediation in Mali
2) Martin Zillinger (Siegen): Absence and the Medialization of the Audio-Visual Unconscious
3) Emilio Spadola (New York): Rites of Reception: Mass-Mediated Trance and Public Order in Morocco
4) Laurel Kendall (New York): Numinous Dress/Iconic Costume: Korean Shamans Dressed for the Gods and for the Camera
5) Getrud Hüwelmeier (Berlin): Mediating the Apocalypse: The Disaster of the Titanic in Vietnamese Pentecostal Discourse
III. Manifestation, Transformation and Aesthetics of Trance Mediums/Media
1) Claudia Böhme (Mainz): "Look With Your Own Eyes!" Visualization of Spirit Media and their Viewing Techniques in Tanzanian Video Films
2) Heike Behrend (Cologne): Spaces of Refusal: Iconoclastic/Photophobic Spirits and the Technical Medium of Photography
3) Lidia Guzy (Berlin): Medial Transformations: Music, Goddess-Embodiment, and Politics in Western Orissa/India
4) Christopher Pinney (London): Manifestation and Media: The Aesthetics and Politics of Plenitude in Central India

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Behrend, Dreschke, and Zillinger deliver a rigorous academic inquiry into the 'orgiastic' qualities of faith often neglected by prevailing narratives. The text successfully challenges established views on religious experience by focusing on the dynamic interplay between trance mediums and new media. However, readers seeking accessible, layperson-friendly introductions to spiritualism may find the dense theoretical framework demanding. It is not suited for those looking for practical guides on mediumship or casual devotional reading. Instead, it demands a scholarly engagement with complex interdisciplinary theories regarding technical reproduction and its impact on religious practice.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

This book is essential for scholars and curious readers alike who seek to understand the complex relationship between ancient spiritual traditions and modern technology. It offers a vital interdisciplinary lens, bridging sociology, anthropology, and media studies to reveal how broadcasting and digital platforms do not merely document but actively reshape spirit possession. If you are fascinated by the 're-enchantment' of the world through technical means, this study provides a groundbreaking perspective on the communal dimensions of faith that are often overlooked in favor of more conventional religious analysis. It is particularly valuable for those interested in how contemporary media propagates profound spiritual phenomena.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're fascinated by the intersection of spirituality, technology, and culture, or if you seek a deeper understanding of global religious movements beyond their institutional forms, this book is essential. It's for anyone questioning how ancient practices thrive in our hyper-connected world.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Behrend, Dreschke, and Zillinger deliver a rigorous academic inquiry into the 'orgiastic' qualities of faith often neglected by prevailing narratives. The text successfully challenges established views on religious experience by focusing on the dynamic interplay between trance mediums and new media. However, readers seeking accessible, layperson-friendly introductions to spiritualism may find the dense theoretical framework demanding. It is not suited for those looking for practical guides on mediumship or casual devotional reading. Instead, it demands a scholarly engagement with complex interdisciplinary theories regarding technical reproduction and its impact on religious practice.

❓ Frequently asked questions

While it deeply explores mediumship and trance, this book is primarily an academic analysis. It offers sociological and anthropological insights into these practices, rather than serving as a guide for personal spiritual development or practical application.

No, the book takes a broad, global perspective. It examines the proliferation of trance and possession techniques across diverse cultures worldwide, drawing comparative insights into how these phenomena manifest and are mediated in different contexts.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Ecstatic Spirituality's Resurgence

The book meticulously documents the global rise in practices of trance and spirit possession, arguing that these vibrant, often 'orgiastic' forms of religiosity have been largely ignored by mainstream academic discourse on the 'return of religion.' It repositions these experiences as central to understanding contemporary spiritual landscapes, rather than mere fringe phenomena.

Media and Spiritual Transmission

This work critically examines how modern communication technologies—from television and radio to the internet and social media—serve as crucial conduits for the 'technical reproduction' and dissemination of spirit possession phenomena. It explores the complex interplay where media not only records but also actively influences the form, reach, and interpretation of ecstatic spiritual events.

Rethinking Modern Religiosity

By focusing on the enthusiastic and embodied aspects of faith, the authors challenge conventional understandings of what constitutes 'modern religion.' They argue for a more inclusive and nuanced perspective that acknowledges the powerful, often physically manifest, dimensions of spiritual practice, which defy purely intellectual or institutional definitions of belief systems.

📜 Historical context

Emerging amidst ongoing academic discussions regarding a global 'return of religion,' this work offers a crucial counterpoint by spotlighting the often-neglected ecstatic and embodied aspects of faith. It positions itself as a vital contribution to studies of contemporary spirituality, challenging a historical tendency to overlook trance and possession as archaic, instead showcasing their modern relevance and media-amplified reach.

📚 Glossary

Spirit Possession
Technical Reproduction
Orgiastic Religiosity

📔 Questions to reflect on

How have modern media platforms influenced your own perception or understanding of spiritual practices that might seem 'unconventional'?
Consider a religious or spiritual tradition you are familiar with. How might its 'orgiastic' or ecstatic elements be amplified or altered by technical reproduction?
In what ways does the global resurgence of trance challenge our contemporary, often secular, definitions of what constitutes authentic religious experience?