Michele Hanks – författare

Based on ethnographic research in England, Doubting Ghosts explores the paradoxes faced by paranormal investigators or "ghost hunters": in spite of spending significant time observing and documenting what they suspect to be paranormal phenomena—in a scientific, secular and rational fashion—many paranormal investigators remain skeptical about the existence of the paranormal. What, then, does it mean to regularly see ghosts and yet to not believe ghosts are real?Examining the manner in which the scientific approach adopted by investigators produces profound doubts about the existence of the paranormal, the meaning of science, and the nature of modernity, the author demonstrates that doubt itself is central to experiences of secularity and that doubt can constitute a foundation for long-term engagements with the paranormal. Thus, paranormal investigators are able to sustain a relationship, albeit an uneasy one, with the paranormal while maintaining a commitment to a scientific, secular, and rational worldview.A contribution to understandings of doubt, science, religion, and disenchantment, this book will appeal to scholars of sociology and anthropology.

Based on ethnographic research in England, Doubting Ghosts explores the paradoxes faced by paranormal investigators or "ghost hunters": in spite of spending significant time observing and documenting what they suspect to be paranormal phenomena—in a scientific, secular and rational fashion—many paranormal investigators remain skeptical about the existence of the paranormal. What, then, does it mean to regularly see ghosts and yet to not believe ghosts are real?Examining the manner in which the scientific approach adopted by investigators produces profound doubts about the existence of the paranormal, the meaning of science, and the nature of modernity, the author demonstrates that doubt itself is central to experiences of secularity and that doubt can constitute a foundation for long-term engagements with the paranormal. Thus, paranormal investigators are able to sustain a relationship, albeit an uneasy one, with the paranormal while maintaining a commitment to a scientific, secular, and rational worldview.A contribution to understandings of doubt, science, religion, and disenchantment, this book will appeal to scholars of sociology and anthropology.

Haunted Heritage is a fascinating scholarly examination of the dynamics of ghost or paranormal tourism. Michele Hanks explores how this phenomenon allows for the re-articulation and re-configuring of ideas of heritage, epistemic authority, nation, and belonging. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, Hanks delves into the anthropological, sociological, political, historical, and cultural factors that drive this burgeoning business. Using York, England, said to be “the most haunted city in the world,” as the base for her research, Hanks focuses on three forms of ghost tourism: ghost walks, commercial ghost hunts, and non-profit ghost hunts and paranormal investigations, comparing the experience of York with other sites of ghost tourism globally. This book will appeal to scholars interested in tourism, heritage, the paranormal, visual cultural, British studies, or popular religion.