1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910728388703321

Autore

VanPool Christine S

Titolo

An Anthropological Study of Spirits / / by Christine S. VanPool, Todd L. VanPool

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer Nature Switzerland : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2023

ISBN

3-031-25920-3

Edizione

[1st ed. 2023.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (260 pages)

Altri autori (Persone)

VanPoolTodd L

Disciplina

306.6

Soggetti

Anthropology of religion

Religion and sociology

Religion—Philosophy

Ethnology

Anthropology of Religion

Sociology of Religion

Philosophy of Religion

Sociocultural Anthropology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Chapter 1. Things that go Bump in the Night (and Day) -- Chapter 2. Anthropology and the Science of the Supernatural: Souls, Ancestors, Ghosts, and Spirits -- Chapter 3. An Operational Classification of Spirits -- Chapter 4. The World of Spirits -- Chapter 5. Spirits and their Helpers -- Chapter 6. Defense against the Dark -- Chapter 7. Neurology, Physiology, and the Mind/Spirit Interface -- Chapter 8. Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

This book discusses the cultural importance of spirits, what spirits want, and how humans interact with them, using examples from around the world and through time. Examples range from the vengeful spirits of the Zulu that cast lightning bolts from clear skies to punish wrongdoers, to the benevolent Puebloan Kachina that encourage prosperity, safety, and rain in the arid American Southwest. The case studies illustrate how humans seek to cooperate (or counteract) spirits to heal the physical and spiritual ailments of their people, to divine the truth, or to gain resources. Building from their cross-cultural analyses,



the authors further discuss how our physiology and psychology impact our interaction with the spirits. Readers will come away with an appreciation of the beauty and power of the spirits that continue to shape the lives of people around the world. .