Developing the Dead - by Diana Espírito Santo (Paperback)

About the Book

Based on extensive fieldwork among espiritistas and their patrons in Havana, this book makes the surprising claim that Spiritist practices are fundamentally a project of developing the self.

Book Synopsis

Studying the relationships cultivated by mediums between the living and the dead
Based on extensive fieldwork among espiritistas and their patrons in Havana, this book makes the surprising claim that Spiritist practices are fundamentally a project of developing the self.

When mediums cultivate relationships between the living and the dead, argues Diana Espírito Santo, they develop, learn, sense, dream, and connect to multiple spirits (muertos), expanding the borders of the self. This understanding of selfhood is radically different from Enlightenment ideas of an autonomous, bounded self and holds fascinating implications for prophecy, healing, and self-consciousness. Developing the Dead shows how Espiritismo's self-making process permeates all aspects of life, not only for its own practitioners but also for those of other Afro-Cuban religions.

Review Quotes

"Emphasizes
the confluence of body, spirit world, and experience of self. . . . Places espiritismo
in the context of Cuban class, recent history, colonial experience, struggle
for independence, and the revolution. . . . Recommended."--Choice

"A
detailed and richly nuanced ethnography of Cuban espiritismo."--Journal
of Folklore Research

"Belongs
in the library of anyone interested in those African-based religious traditions
that have been developed in the Americas, especially those that developed in
the Caribbean. It should also be of interest to those willing to widen their
scholarly gaze to include traditions that do not fit neatly into Western,
European philosophical and religious categories."--Nova Religio

"An invaluable reference for scholars working in
Atlantic studies, Religious studies, Latina/o studies, Anthropology of
Religion, Caribbean studies, and African Diaspora studies."--New West
Indian Guide

About the Author

Diana Espírito Santo is assistant professor in social anthropology at the Institute of Sociology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She is coeditor of The Social Life of Spirits and Making Spirits: Materiality and Transcendence in Contemporary Religions