Let the dead speak

Spiritualism in Australia

By: Andrew Singleton, Matt Tomlinson

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Hardcover | 14 January 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
216 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.4

Hardcover

$214.75

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This book explores the historical and social dynamics of Spiritualism a religious movement associated in the popular imagination with nineteenth-century parlour seances and ghost photography. It continues to be practised actively today in Australia, the UK, and USA. The authors draw on their deep fieldwork, interviews, and archival research to analyse Spiritualism's resilience and the enduring popular appeal of mediumship.

There are three key contributions of the book: the first is that the scholarly study of 'belief' should be rehabilitated. The authors propose a model of belief as a dialogue between claims to truth and commitments to institutions supporting those claims. The second is women's agency in Spiritualism. From the movement's beginnings, strong female leaders have decisively shaped its religious and political profile. The third is the need to analyse Australian Spiritualism as a distinct variant of a transnational Anglophone family of ritual practice.

Industry Reviews

'Rich, perceptive, and engaging. Let the dead speak provides a brilliant, concise introduction to Spiritualism through the contours of its Australian story. Clearly written, its sharp interdisciplinary analysis provides fresh insights into Spiritualism's past, influence, and broader significance, and crucially its character as a resilient living tradition.'
-Geoff Troughton, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington

'Tracing the story of Spiritualism across continents and centuries, Singleton and Tomlinson portray a community convinced that the dead want to continue to connect with their loved ones. This is a form of faith grounded in doubt rather than brash conviction, where members work to bridge radically different worlds.'
- Debra McDougall, University of Melbourne

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