Engaging the anomalous: reflections from the anthropology of the paranormal
What is Paranormal? April 2, 2016 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/13642537.2016.1170063 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
This review article examines parallels between research on the paranormal and insights from the anthropology of religion, consciousness, transpersonal anthropology, and the anthropology of the paranormal. It traces the history of anthropology's engagement with the paranormal, from early evolutionist perspectives to modern experiential approaches. The article concludes by highlighting potential benefits of cross-pollination between psychotherapeutic and anthropological research on the paranormal.
Study at a glance
| Design | review article |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Cross-pollination between psychotherapeutic and anthropological research on the paranormal may be beneficial. |
Abstract
Abstract This review article looks at some of the parallels between the contents of this special issue on the paranormal and insights from the anthropology of religion, the anthropology of consciousness, transpersonal anthropology and the anthropology of the paranormal. The paper introduces the history of anthropology’s engagement with the paranormal, from the early evolutionist perspectives of anthropology’s pioneers to the most recent experiential approaches of the anthropology of consciousness. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential benefits of a cross-pollination of psychotherapeutic and anthropological research on the paranormal.