COMMENT:An anthropologist among the channelers. Brown's book is enjoyable and very informative, including descriptions of his own experiences among channelers, and his thoughts on how channeling fits into the larger American religious scene. He ties channeling to the trance mediums of the 19th century, showing how it expresses a common thread in American religious history, and also how it reflects our times specifically. Brown is good at putting channeling in context, even down to details like showing how the cognitive relativism fashionable within the humanities is paralleled in the New Age. Though Brown is sympathetic towards his subjects, the end result is not always a pretty picture. This is not a debunking book, but it is indispensable for anyone who is seriously interested in learning about channeling.
DATE:19990625
KEYWORDS:newage:anthropology newage:history
MISC:236p.
PUBLISHER:Harvard University Press
SUBMITADDR:bibliographer@csicop.org
SUBMITNAME:Taner Edis
TITLE:The Channeling Zone: American Spirituality in an Anxious Age
