Dreaming and the Imagination - (Ethnography, Theory, Experiment) by Matthew D Newsom (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Of all the human behaviors anthropologists consider, perhaps the most conceptually challenging are those that cannot by directly observed. This volume draws from rich ethnographic data to offer theoretical and methodological tools for mapping the intersections between two such behaviors: dreaming and imagination. Although Western perspectives tend to cast these as personal experiences contained within individual minds, each contributor explores diverse cultural and historical contexts to demonstrate how these behaviours are always in some sense cultural and influenced by social others. The cross-cultural approach suggests theoretical flexibility and expands the study of imagination across multiple disciplines"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Of all the human behaviors anthropologists consider, perhaps the most conceptually challenging are those that cannot by directly observed. This volume draws from rich ethnographic data to offer theoretical and methodological tools for mapping the intersections between two such behaviors: dreaming and imagination. Although Western perspectives tend to cast these as personal experiences contained within individual minds, each contributor explores diverse cultural and historical contexts to demonstrate how these behaviours are always in some sense cultural and influenced by social others. The cross-cultural approach suggests theoretical flexibility and expands the study of imagination across multiple disciplines.

Review Quotes

"This is an excellent work and will rank as a top resource in its field ... The editor has skillfully persuaded the contributors to orient their works around core issues of the imagination. This establishes a high degree of conceptual and methodological consistency through the book." - Kelly Bulkeley, Director, 'The Sleep and Dream Database'

"Makes an argument for how the theme of dreams and dreaming may take on a more central role in advancing anthropological theory. This is ambitious and refreshing, and I appreciate it a lot." - Maria Louw, Aarhus University

About the Author

Matthew D. Newsom is an Assistant Professor of anthropology in the Department of History, Sociology, and Anthropology at Southern Utah University. His research on the topics of dreaming and collective memories among young German adults has appeared in several edited volumes, including New Directions in the Anthropology of Dreaming (Routledge, 2020).