Book Release- The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History

Marc Eaton and I are pleased to announce the release of our volume The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History. I’ve attached a promotional flyer from Temple University Press.  If the list blocks the attachment, please get in touch with me directly if you’d like to purchase a copy (the flyer contains a code for a significant discount; [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>). You may find the text at http://tupress.temple.edu/book/20000000009554, but also available anywhere else you prefer to purchase books.



Overview:

     In the twenty-first century, as in centuries past, stories of the supernatural thrill and terrify us. But despite their popularity, scholars often dismiss such beliefs in the uncanny as inconsequential, or even embarrassing. The editors and contributors to The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History have made a concert­ed effort to understand encounters with ghosts and the supernatural that have persisted and flourished. Featuring folkloric researchers examining the cultural value of such beliefs and practices, sociologists who ac­knowledge the social and historical value of the super­natural, and enthusiasts of the mystical and uncanny, this volume includes a variety of experts and interested observers using first-hand ethnographic experiences and historical records.

     The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History seeks to understand the socio-cultural and socio-historical contexts of the supernatural. This volume takes the supernatural as real because belief in it has fundamen­tally shaped human history. It continues to inform peo­ple’s interpretations, actions, and identities on a daily basis. The supernatural is an indelible part of our social world that deserves sincere scholarly attention.
Contents:
Introduction       The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History (Dennis Waskul and Marc Eaton)
Chapter One       Toward a Cryptoscience (William Ryan Force)


Chapter Two       On Researching the Supernatural: Cultural Competence and Cape Breton Stories (Jeannie Banks Thomas)


Chapter Three     Ghosts and Hauntings: Genres, Forms, and Types (Dennis Waskul)

Chapter Four       Paranormal Investigation: The Scientist and the Sensitive (Marc Eaton)


Chapter Five        The Allure of Dark Tourism: Legend Tripping and Ghost Seeking in Dark Places (Rachel Ironside)



Chapter Six          “The spirits tell me that you’re seeking help”: Fortunetelling in Late Capitalism (Stephen L. Muzzatti and Emma Smith)



Chapter Seven      Reading Tarot: Telling Fortunes, Telling Friends, and Re-telling Everyday Life (Janet Baldwin)



Chapter Eight       Twentieth Century Voodoo: Black Culture, Cultural Geographies, and the Meaning of Place (I’Nasah Crockett)


Chapter Nine       Vampirism: Modern Vampires and Embattled Identity Claims (Joseph P. Laycock)

Chapter Ten         Cryptozoology: The Hunt for Hidden Animals and Monsters (Tea Krulos)

Chapter Eleven    Alien Abduction Narratives: A Proposed Model and Case Study (Scott Scribner)

Index

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Dennis D. Waskul, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Graduate Program Coordinator
Distinguished Faculty Scholar
Minnesota State University Mankato
Department of Sociology and Corrections
Armstrong Hall 113
Mankato, MN 56001
(507) 389-5673
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>

The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History<http://tupress.temple.edu/book/20000000009554> (Temple University Press, 2018)
Ghostly Encounters: The Hauntings of Everyday Life<http://tupress.temple.edu/book/20000000008423> (Temple University Press, 2016)
Popular Culture as Everyday Life<https://www.routledge.com/Popular-Culture-as-Everyday-Life/Waskul-Vannini/p/book/9781138833395> (Routledge, 2016)
The Senses in Self, Society, and Culture: A Sociology of the Senses<https://www.routledge.com/The-Senses-in-Self-Society-and-Culture-A-Sociology-of-the-Senses/Vannini-Waskul-Gottschalk/p/book/9780415731041> (Routledge, 2012)

Interested in possibly attending graduate school?  Check out our many excellent graduate programs<http://sbs.mnsu.edu/soccorr/graduateprogram/> and get in touch with me at any time for more information!


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