Abstract
A specter is haunting social science—the specter of research into belief in the supernatural. In their edited volume, Dennis Waskul and Marc Eaton collect efforts to understand the social and cultural implications of supernatural beliefs and experiences. The editors contend that this work is marginalized in both social science and the humanities due primarily to disciplinary boundaries in academia and ongoing debates about the scholarly merits of research into supernatural phenomena. For years, many scholars regarded belief in the supernatural as irrational and generally treated research into documenting the supernatural as pseudoscience that would eventually disappear and be replaced with more rational scientific thought and empirical evidence. Yet, as Waskul and Eaton suggest, not only are supernatural beliefs and firsthand experiences on the rise; they are normative experiences for a plurality of Americans and therefore worthy of scholarly attention. The editors are clear that the authors included in this volume are interested not in ontological debates about the existence of the supernatural but rather in analyses of how the beliefs and practices contribute to meaning making, collective identities, and actions.
The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History begins with the editors offering a brief history of research into the supernatural, before moving quickly into how recent television programs, like Ghost Hunters and The Walking Dead; films, such as Paranormal Activity; and multimedia franchises, like Harry Potter and Twilight, offer popular-culture supernatural content to craving audiences. The editors argue that interests in the supernatural carry symbolic meaning in that “they represent our worst fears in an age of terrorism, global warming, and other large-scale changes that threaten to destabilize or destroy life as we know it” (p. 3). Before descriptions of the 11 contributions in the volume, the editors lay the groundwork by defining the supernatural as an inclusive term meaning the “social and cultural functions of beliefs and practices associated with both supernatural abilities (such as fortune-telling or communicating with the dead) and entities (such as ghosts or Bigfoot)” (p. 9). Following this, William Force Ryan’s chapter 1, titled “Toward a Cryptoscience,” addresses the definitional debates in research into the supernatural, arguing for a transdisciplinary approach that incorporates multiple sources of data and forms of analysis to understand the meanings supernatural phenomena have for those who experience them.
With the framework through which to understand research into the supernatural set by the introduction and chapter 1, the rest of the book moves into one of its strongest contributions, especially for instructors: various examples of qualitative research methodologies. Jeannie Banks Thomas submits chapter 2, where the author reflexively critiques her own ethnographic work, offering a valuable teaching tool for researchers in all fields. Thomas argues for careful attention to the position of the researcher and provides an annotated seven-point research checklist under three broader headings of “Prepare,” “Approach,” and “Analyze”—a useful framework for undergraduate students learning to conduct fieldwork, interviews, or focus groups.
Similarly, several other chapters in the volume provide readers with excellent examples of qualitative research. For example, Dennis Waskul uses ethnography in chapter 3 to understand experiences with ghosts and similar hauntings. In chapter 4, Marc Eaton combines interviews and participant observation to explain the tension between what he calls the “scientific” and “sensitive” approaches toward supernatural research. Further, in chapter 7, Janet Baldwin draws on firsthand participant observation to illuminate the history and contemporary significance of tarot reading, particularly for community building, ritualized experience, and self-empowerment.
Other chapters in the book offer instructors strong examples of the sociological imagination, with the authors situating their research in the supernatural within larger social and cultural structures that impact believers. For instance, in chapters 9 and 10, Joseph P. Laycock and Tea Krulos turn their attention toward the experiences of those persons who believe they are vampires (Laycock’s chapter 9) and cryptozoological researchers—Bigfoot hunters and the like (Krulos’s chapter 10)—who struggle for legitimacy in a field where empirical evidence is paramount. Both authors offer provocative historical context for their work, with Laycock arguing that real-life vampires’ struggles of identity mirror those of the LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, Krulos suggests that cryptozoologists face opposition from the skeptical scientific community as well as from hoaxers, who pose a significant threat to their legitimacy. Chapters 5 and 6 explore the impacts of capitalism on supernatural beliefs. For example, Rachel Ironside’s ethnographic work on “legend tourism”—visiting places said to be haunted—looks at how local economies capitalize on their notoriety, charging visitors for everything from nights spent in haunted buildings to souvenirs and T-shirts. Similarly, Stephen Muzzatti and Emma Smith’s chapter 6 theorizes that economic uncertainties in late capitalism may contribute to the growing business of fortune-telling, especially in the age of smartphones and easily accessible apps. Finally, in chapter 8, I’Nasah Crockett examines voodoo, where characterizations of belief and practice of voodoo in New Orleans have historically been both raced and classed.
Sociology instructors will find value in many of the chapters in this volume, and this text would be a good supplemental resource for undergraduate students in either Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Sociology courses. This text is also a good resource for instructors teaching Qualitative Methods who want to provide their students with strong examples of qualitative work where the researchers maintain clear objective boundaries while simultaneously expressing affinity for their research subjects. Instructors might use this text in conjunction with the class activity “What Is Subculture? Identifying and Exploring Subcultures on Campus,” found in the TRAILS resource collection (Burkhalter and Ryan 2016). This activity challenges students to use their sociological imagination to examine subcultures on campus. Instructors could use this volume to challenge students to explain how the supernatural believers explored in each essay fit the definition of a subculture, before asking the students to apply this framework to groups on their own campuses or in their home communities.
Most of the essayists profess an agnostic view of belief in the supernatural, which gives their findings more authoritative heft as none of the authors come off as proponents or detractors. Nor does the text demand the reader’s belief or disbelief in the supernatural—again, this is not the aim—asking instead that the reader consider the social and cultural implications for believers and communities. Each author’s writing is clear and engaging, and the chapters are often very enjoyable, making this volume a great way to grab the attention of students who might show less interest in more traditional qualitative texts. Overall, this collection provides teachers with a number of examples of qualitative work in an area that is both underresearched and challenged by a skeptical academic community. Yet, with references to the supernatural on the rise in popular culture and more Americans captivated by ghost stories and haunted towns, this volume offers an engrossing companion text that applies the sociological imagination to a growing field of research seeking to understand the social and cultural implications of this popular and intriguing content.