Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-195).

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2010. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 198 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Spiritualism has its origins in 1840s America, and continues to occupy a niche in the Anglo-American cultural world in which the craft of mediumship is taught and practised. Spiritualist mediums seek to demonstrate personal survival beyond death and thus belong to a movement that posits the existence of a spirit world, peopled with those who were once incarnate upon the earth and with whom communication is possible. Spiritualists often maintain that mediumship is a universal activity found across cultures and time, and some scholars have speculated in passing that Spiritualist mediumship might be a form of shamanism. This thesis uses both existing literary sources and ethnographic study to support the hypothesis that mediumship is indeed an example of traditional shamanism, and demonstrates that a comparison of Spiritualist mediumship and shamanism gives valuable insights into both. In particular, an apprenticeship model is proposed as offering a clearer understanding of the nature of mediumship and its central role in maintaining Spiritualism as a distinct religious tradition, helping to clarify problematic boundaries such as that between Spiritualism and New Age. Existing models of shamanism have tended to focus upon particular skills or states of consciousness exhibited by shamans and are therefore framed with reference to outcomes, rather than by attending to the processes of development leading to them. The apprenticeship model of mediumship is proposed as the basis first, of understanding the structure of Spiritualism, and second and comparatively, of a new definition of shamanism, by offering a distinctive, clearly-structured approach to understanding the acquisition and nature of shamanic skills, without being unduly prescriptive as to which particular shamanic skills should be anticipated in any given cultural setting.

This thesis is formed from original research into the cultural impact of Modern Spiritualism in Scotland during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Until the twenty first century academic scholarship has failed to recognise the historic importance of the Spiritualist movement's widespread popularity and the influence it had on art during this period. The findings of this research provide a new understanding and greater appreciation of art from this time. As academic investigation into Spiritualism's historic significance is largely absent, this study focuses on primary sources from an extensive range of Spiritualist literature, including Spiritualist magazines and newspapers. The number of cited artworks, which were discovered and analysed during this research, support the notion that investigation into Spiritualism's influence during this period is necessary. This thesis is divided into two parts: Part One focuses on artworks by Spiritualists intended for Spiritualist audiences. Chapter 1 outlines a history of the Spiritualist movement in Scotland for the first time in order to establish a context for discussion in the following chapters. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 highlight unknown artworks by Spiritualists, such as Jane Stewart Smith and David Duguid, and analyse how those artists responded to private and public Spiritualism in Scotland. Part Two reveals new interpretations of mainstream Scottish art but which art historians have not previously acknowledged as having Spiritualist associations. In Chapter 5, case studies of members of the Royal Scottish Academy demonstrate that Spiritualism did influence mainstream Scottish artists, such as Alfred Edward Borthwick and George Henry Paulin. Chapter 6 reconsiders the Celtic Revival in Scotland, specifically by re-evaluating current interpretations of John Duncan's work with reference to Duncan's Spiritualism. The final chapter examines war memorials in Scotland as a response to mass social bereavement and Spiritualism's increased popularity during and after the First World War.

The implication of belief, that association between the veridical ghost tale and the fictional ghost tale—an association resulting from the onslaught of reason and science, and consequently spiritual doubt—remains largely responsible for the fictional ghost tale’s critical demise. A rise in the spiritualist movement produces a specific literature that coincides with the rise in interest in its fictional counterpart. Both the veridical ghost tale and the fictional ghost tale reach their heights in popularity at precisely the same time; not coincidental, but well planned by talented writers who viewed the preoccupation with ghosts as a platform from which a variety of contemporary issues could be candidly dealt. The Victorian literary ghost figure simultaneously, and ingeniously, fills a spiritual void, satisfies a consumer need for entertainment, and provides an opportunity for cultural commentary. The voice of the Victorian ghost, and the subsequent understanding of its haunted are of distinct cultural significance. / October 2004

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 294-299). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 294-299). Also available on the Internet.

This thesis examines the interest in spiritualism of Canada’s tenth Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. By placing King’s engagement with spiritualism within the context of recent historiography on spiritualism as a progressive form of religion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, this research demonstrates that spiritualism was not a pseudo-religion or parlour game but rather, a religious practice meaningful to King both as a component of his faith and his intellectual pursuits. Within the context of this thesis, spiritualism is treated as a lived religion. Based on the research of Robert Orsi and David D. Hall, whose contention is that religion comes into existence only in a dynamic relationship with the realities of everyday life, particular attention is paid to those parts of King’s world that serve as the building blocks for his first encounters with spiritualism. This research demonstrates that while King remained skeptical of spiritualist claims until later in his life, his eventual acceptance of spiritualism was the result of several factors. Though the deaths within his immediate family in the early 1900s served as a catalyst for King’s desire to seek spirit contact, it was his reading and involvement in social Christianity as early as 1891, when he began his studies at the University of Toronto that provided the scaffolding for King’s incorporation of spiritualism into his later life. It is argued that, ultimately, King’s goals remained consistent throughout his personal evolution: to lead a Christian life in service to the less fortunate and to the people of Canada. / Thesis (Master, History) -- Queen's University, 2009-12-06 20:38:59.97

The implication of belief, that association between the veridical ghost tale and the fictional ghost tale—an association resulting from the onslaught of reason and science, and consequently spiritual doubt—remains largely responsible for the fictional ghost tale’s critical demise. A rise in the spiritualist movement produces a specific literature that coincides with the rise in interest in its fictional counterpart. Both the veridical ghost tale and the fictional ghost tale reach their heights in popularity at precisely the same time; not coincidental, but well planned by talented writers who viewed the preoccupation with ghosts as a platform from which a variety of contemporary issues could be candidly dealt. The Victorian literary ghost figure simultaneously, and ingeniously, fills a spiritual void, satisfies a consumer need for entertainment, and provides an opportunity for cultural commentary. The voice of the Victorian ghost, and the subsequent understanding of its haunted are of distinct cultural significance.