Spirits and Scientists

Spirits and Scientists: Ideology, Spiritism, and Brazilian Culture is a scholarly examination of Brazilian Spiritism and its role within the nation's intellectual life. This volume 1 study explores how a middle-class religious movement integrates communication with the dead and spiritual therapies into a structured framework. David J Hess analyzes how this specific form of spiritualism differs from Anglo-Saxon traditions by incorporating an institutionalized elite that blends parapsychology with alternative medicine and sociology.

The text situates Spiritism within a broader ideological arena, connecting religion and culture to the state, medical professions, and the social sciences. By challenging previous sociological perspectives on middle-class ideologies, Spirits and Scientists provides a fresh approach to understanding religious movements in Brazil and Latin America. This work serves as a detailed resource for those studying the intersection of science and spiritualism.