Description
Book SynopsisSecular Spirituality challenges the traditional dichotomy between Enlightenment reason and religion. It follows French romantic socialists' and spiritists' search for a new spirituality based on reincarnation as a path to progress for individuals and society.
Trade ReviewRecommended. -- D. A. Harvey, New College of Florida * CHOICE *
This fine study of French spiritism in the nineteenth century confirms a growing recognition by historians that various forms of modern religiosity survived the development of materialist critique of traditional religion. These movements, which Sharp deftly and judiciously surveys here, combined the humanist vision of a progressive and egalitarian society with a mystical faith in everyday miracles. It provides a more complex story about the growth of reason and the decline of religious observance than can be told in the conventional discourse of the struggle between clericalism and anti-clericalism. -- Robert A. Nye, Horning Professor of the Humanities and Professor of History, Oregon State University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: Secularism and spirituality Chapter 2 Romantic Reincarnation and Social Reform Chapter 3 1850-1880: Building a Movement Chapter 4 Progress of the Seance: Progress, Gender, Equality Chapter 5 Struggles for Legitimacy: Science and Religion Chapter 6 Spiritism, Occultism, Science: Meanings of Reincarnation in the Fin de Siecle Chapter 7 Conclusion: Thoughts for "Modern" Spirits
