Skip to content
Description
By: Grafton Tanner
A radical cultural and political history of exorcism and possession from the 1950s to the present day.
Demands for exorcism have increased since the mid-twentieth century. What could be the cause of the recent possession outbreak? Are possessed people actually suffering from mental health problems? Or is the world falling victim to the devil and demons?
In this shocking new book, Grafton Tanner argues that neither science nor religion can fully explain the re-emergence of exorcism. Once considered outdated at best, and an embarrassment at worst, exorcism today is more than just a horror movie trope: it has become a popular product in our therapeutic marketplace and a weapon against groups that resist state, corporate, and ecclesiastical powers. In a world anxious about what people believe and how they behave, and where losing one’s self is deemed threatening, accusations of possession can serve to punish the youth, nonconformists, and marginalized populations.
Charting the history of exorcism in an allegedly secular age — from the brainwashing panic of the postwar period to the cult deprogramming of the 1970s, and from the massive influence of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist to the harmful practice of conversion “therapy” — Purging the Devil is an inquiry into the nature of belief and a meditation on our fascination with evil.
A radical cultural and political history of exorcism and possession from the 1950s to the present day.
Demands for exorcism have increased since the mid-twentieth century. What could be the cause of the recent possession outbreak? Are possessed people actually suffering from mental health problems? Or is the world falling victim to the devil and demons?
In this shocking new book, Grafton Tanner argues that neither science nor religion can fully explain the re-emergence of exorcism. Once considered outdated at best, and an embarrassment at worst, exorcism today is more than just a horror movie trope: it has become a popular product in our therapeutic marketplace and a weapon against groups that resist state, corporate, and ecclesiastical powers. In a world anxious about what people believe and how they behave, and where losing one’s self is deemed threatening, accusations of possession can serve to punish the youth, nonconformists, and marginalized populations.
Charting the history of exorcism in an allegedly secular age — from the brainwashing panic of the postwar period to the cult deprogramming of the 1970s, and from the massive influence of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist to the harmful practice of conversion “therapy” — Purging the Devil is an inquiry into the nature of belief and a meditation on our fascination with evil.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
Dog Man 13: Dog Man: Big Jim Begins: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #13)
Sale priceHK$79.00
Regular priceHK$150.00
In stock
Treehouse, The (正版) Boxset / Bundle with QR code Audio (Andy Griffiths)
Sale priceFrom HK$169.00
Regular priceHK$673.00
In stock
Dragon Masters #27 (正版) Haunting of the Ghost Dragon (Branches) (Tracey West)
Sale priceHK$47.00
Regular priceHK$69.00
In stock
Harry Potter (正版) Children #1-7 Collection (7 Books)(J.K. Rowling)(printed in UK)
Sale priceFrom HK$459.00
Regular priceHK$799.00
In stock
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess International Edition
Sale priceHK$92.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock
Press Start! #01: Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy! (Branches)
Sale priceHK$38.00
Regular priceHK$59.90
In stock
Pip and Posy (正版) Collection (Books with Audio QR Code)(Axel Scheffler)
Sale priceFrom HK$249.00
Regular priceHK$671.00
In stock
Harry Potter (正版)(#3) and the Prisoner of Azkaban MinaLima Edition (J.K. Rowling)
Sale priceFrom HK$299.00
Regular priceHK$520.00
In stock