Spiritualism and Psychical Research in the 19^<th> Century

• Project/Area Number: 15520218
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literatures/Literary theories in other countries and areas
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIMURA Masakazu Nagoya University, Graduate School of Languages and Cultures, Professor, 大学院・国際言語文化研究科, 教授 (10033408)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2004
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
• Budget Amount: ¥2,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000); Fiscal Year 2004: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000); Fiscal Year 2003: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
• Keywords: spiritualism / George Combe / phrenology / Theosophy / the Society for Psychical Research / Frederic Myers / マイヤーズ / ブラヴァツキー夫人 / 心需主義 / 社会精神史

Research Abstract

Research in the 19^<th> Century, is to research into the social-historical aspects of the 19^<th> century spiritualism, and to confirm that the spiritualism, far from the stereotyped image of the irrational and supernatural movement, was regarded as a part of the contemporary scientific naturalism. In the category of the spiritualism, I have included, among other things, the phrenology, the phreno-mesmerism, the social reformation, the Theosophy, the Society for Psychical Research.
In 2003,I examined the development of the phrenology of George Combe, and traced the process of its merging with mesmerism into the phreno-mesmerism, which showed the similar performances as those of the spiritualism. Visiting at the British Library and the SPR in London in August of 2003,I collected the research materials on these themes.
In 2004,I researched into the Theosophical movement of Madam Blavatsky and Annie Besant as well as the psychological analysis of the spiritualism by Frederic Myers of the SPR. Visiting at the Fisher library of the University of Sidney in January of 2005,I collected the research materials related to these themes.