Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture - Couverture rigide

Bader, Christopher D.; Baker, Joseph O.; Mencken, F. Carson

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0814791344 ISBN 13 : 9780814791349

Editeur : New York University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Paranormal America The definitive portrait of Americans who believe in or have experienced such phenomena as ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, psychic phenomena, astrology, and the power of mediums Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

A significant number of Americans spend their weekends at UFO conventions hearing whispers of government cover-ups, at New Age gatherings learning the keys to enlightenment, or ambling around historical downtowns learning about resident ghosts in tourist-targeted "ghost walks". They have been fed a steady diet of fictional shows with paranormal themes such as The X-Files, Supernatural, and Medium, shows that may seek to simply entertain, but also serve to disseminate paranormal beliefs. The public hunger for the paranormal seems insatiable. Paranormal America provides the definitive portrait of Americans who believe in or have experienced such phenomena as ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, psychic phenomena, astrology, and the power of mediums. However, unlike many books on the paranormal, this volume does not focus on proving or disproving the paranormal, but rather on understanding the people who believe and how those beliefs shape their lives. Drawing on the Baylor Religion Survey - a multi-year national random sample of American religious values, practices, and behaviours - as well as extensive fieldwork including joining hunts for Bigfoot and spending the night in a haunted house, authors Christopher Bader, F. Carson Mencken, and Joseph Baker shed light on what the various types of paranormal experiences, beliefs, and activities claimed by Americans are; whether holding an unconventional belief, such as believing in Bigfoot, means that one is unconventional in other attitudes and behaviours; who has such experiences and beliefs and how they differ from other Americans; and if we can expect major religions to emerge from the paranormal. Brimming with engaging personal stories and provocative findings, Paranormal America is an entertaining yet authoritative look at a growing segment of American religious culture.

Revue de presse :

"But this fascinating book calls into question that easy explanation. The authors convincingly show that believing in flying saucers or some other paranormal subject -- Bigfoot, ghosts, astrology, psychics is not fringe at all. More than two-thirds of Americans accept the reality of at least one such phenomenon." - --Washington Post

"While this academic work showcases an astounding amount of research, the quick pacing and engaging language keep it from being a dry report of BRS findings. It is accessible to any reader with an interest in the convergence of paranormal beliefs and religion. The thought-provoking narrative will not disappoint experts on the topic." - --Library Journal starred review

"Paranormal America is an authoritative but extremely readable analysis of an important but often ignored subculture. This fine book explains how many people seek personally-relevant meaning in a chaotic and often alienating world. In these pages we learn much not only about believers in ESP, Bigfoot, and astrology, but also about the general ways in which all human minds make sense of our perplexing position in the universe." --William Bainbridge, author of Across the Secular Abyss: From Faith to Wisdom

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: New York University Press
• Date d'édition: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0814791344
• ISBN 13: 9780814791349
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272