A social anthropology of ghosts in twenty-first-century America

Abstract

Although belief in ghosts or analogous concepts is prevalent cross-culturally, including in contemporary Western cultures, social scientific treatments of spirit belief and experience often dismiss such views as superstitious, or overlook this dimension of culture completely. Using mixed methods, we examine ghost belief, experience, and media consumption, as well as the practice of 'ghost hunting' in the United States. Results from a national survey demonstrate that these beliefs and practices are common and concentrated strongly among younger generations of Americans, especially moderately religious 'dabblers.' Fieldwork with multiple groups centered on 'hunting' ghosts reveals several notable themes, including rhetorical appeals to both science and religion, magical rites, the extensive use of technology to mediate evidence and experiences of ghosts, and the narrative construction of hauntings. We argue that the inherent liminality of spirits as cultural constructs accounts for their persistence, power, and continual recurrence. RésuméBien que la croyance liée aux fantômes ou à des concepts analogues est courante dans de nombreuses cultures, y compris les cultures occidentales contemporaines, les traitements sociaux et scientifiques qui lui sont réservés la relèguent au rang de CompassBaker and Bader: A social anthropology of ghosts in twenty-first-century America research-article2014 Article at TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY on December 2, 2014 scp.sagepub.com Downloaded from 570 Social Compass 61 (4) superstition, ou la négligent complètement en tant que dimension culturelle. Employant des méthodes variées, les auteurs examinent des croyances en la présence de fantômes, des expériences personnelles, la consommation médiatique, ainsi que l'exercice de « la chasse aux fantômes » aux États-Unis. Les résultats d'une enquête nationale démontrent que ces croyances et ces exercices sont communs et concernent les générations les plus jeunes d'Américains, particulièrement des « dilettantes » modérément religieux. Le travail de terrain consacré à la chasse aux fantômes parmi de multiples groupes révèle plusieurs thèmes notables tels que des appels rhétoriques à la science ainsi qu'à la religion, des rites liés à la magie, une utilisation extensive de la technologie pour négocier l'évidence et l'expérience des fantômes, et une construction narrative des apparitions. Les auteurs soutiennent que la liminalité inhérente aux spectres, considérés comme construction culturelle, explique leur persistance, leur pouvoir, et leur récurrence continuelle.

Finding God in Grain: Crop Circles, Rationality, and the Construction of Spiritual Experience

“…These paranormal and supernatural searchers “[D]ream of the day that the scientific community is forced by the weight of evidence to announce to the world that Bigfoot [or any paranormal/supernatural phenomena] is real” (Bader et al :128). In this way, some believers fuse science and spirituality (Baker and Baker :582), relying “upon the cultural legitimacy of science and technology as a means of reinforcing the meaningfulness of what was essentially a spiritual quest” (Eaton :403). For many believers, it appears to be only a matter of time until science can be applied to explain these events and when that day comes, believers will be vindicated.…”

Manifesting Spirits: Paranormal Investigation and the Narrative Development of a Haunting

“…For paranormal investigators, folkloric and media-based representations of ghosts and hauntings establish a general set of expectations for what a “real” haunting looks like. Place-based narratives, such as historical records and “deathlore” (Baker and Bader 2014) about a site, add important details about the nature of the alleged haunting of each specific property. Together, such tales prime investigators to expect particular types of supernatural activity to occur and therefore steer interpretations of subsequent events.…”

“…When I join the members of UMP for a preinvestigation meeting, their conversation centers on the claims about the Highwayman presented on Dark Forces . Like the paranormal investigators studied by Baker and Bader (2014), Matthew begins by recounting the deathlore of the location:It was a hotel in the 1800s. There was a little girl who was murdered by her father in 1886.…”

Introduction. Flux et fluides ontologiques: Repenser les notions de type mana/ Ontological flows and fluids: Rethinking mana-like concepts

“…Les rapports entre les humains et les non-humains font l’objet d’une vaste discussion dont la revue Social Compass s’est fait l’écho à quelques reprises dans un passé récent (par exemple Baker, 2014 ; Hermesse, 2011 ; Minkjan, 2008 ; Pinto, 2016). En anthropologie, notamment, cette discussion correspond au tournant dit ontologique dont des chercheurs comme Hallowell, Latour, Descola et Viveiros de Castro sont actuellement les représentants les plus cités.…”

“…Relationships between humans and nonhumans have been widely discussed, and Social Compass has carried on this discussion several times in recent years (for example, Baker, 2014; Hermesse, 2011; Minkjan, 2008; Pinto, 2016). In anthropology, notably, this discussion corresponds to the ‘ontological turn,’ which is today most often represented by researchers like Hallowell, Latour, Descola and Viveiros de Castro.…”