Language of Mediums and Psychics

Robin Wooffitt is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of York, UK. He has authored and co-authored five other books. He has also published in Sociology, The British Journal of Social Psychology, Text, Discourse Studies, the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, The Journal of Parapsychology and The European Journal of Parapsychology.

’Wooffitt’s superb study shows that the discursive strategies used by psychic practitioners are a great deal subtler than we realised, and makes a convincing case for the use of social scientific methods in parapsychology.’ Peter Lamont, University of Edinburgh, UK ’Fascinating and absorbing. This richly satisfying book will appeal to all those intrigued by the workings of language in interaction, and anyone who has ever asked themselves: how, exactly, do psychics do what they do?’ Charles Antaki, Loughborough University, UK ’...a fascinating and convincingly argued account of psychics and sitters collaborating verbally to establish and sustain the psychic’s authenticity...I recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand how apparently paranormal phenomena are portrayed and sustained by those involved in the interaction. It is also a useful contribution to social scientific methodology.’ Sociology ’...[provides] a thought-provoking discussion of the discourse of both private and popular psychic practitioners...an engagingly written and significant addition to the ongoing discussion of identity in interaction...the agnostic approach used by Wooffitt enables a particularly fascinating discussion of psychic-sitter discourse.’ Journal of Sociolinguists

• Contents: Psychic practitioners in contemporary society; Psychic practitioners and social science; Analysing the organization of successful demonstrations of paranormal cognition; The collaborative production of paranormal cognition; The inferential production of identity in mediums' discourse; Trouble management; The spirits and trouble management; Communication and anomalous experiences; Appendix; Index.