Spiritualism and Mediumship in 19th- and 20th-Century Literature

The Spiritualist movement had a profound impact on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British and American culture, attracting millions of believers who attended séances and took part in other forms of investigations into occult phenomena. For this panel, we are interested in critical works exploring Spiritualist narratives during this era and their relationship to the production of knowledge and identity. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Spirit mediumship
• Psychics
• Investigations by psychical research societies
• Spirit photography
• Automatic writing
• Mesmeric trances and healing practices
• Reactions against Spiritualism
• Spiritualist communities
• Spiritualism and women’s rights movements
• Neo-Victorian writing on Spiritualism