Ghost Hunters of the South
GHOST HUNTERS OF THE SOUTH. By Alan Brown. Jackson: The University Press of Mississippi, 2006. 393 pp. Hardbound, $50.00; Softbound, $22.00.
Alphine W. Jefferson
Randolph-Macon College
From the documentation of paranormal investigations in the 1850s and the prevalence of séances in elite homes in the late nineteenth century to the popularity of contemporary movies and television shows about ghosts, the occult, supernatural phenomena, vampires, and witches, Americans have been fascinated with the unknown. They have tried to communicate with the dead, conjure up spirits, receive messages and read signs from the nonphysical world, and see the dead for centuries. It is in that vein that Alan Brown's book, Ghost Hunters of the South, has special significance. Traditional folklore about haunted houses, stories of Confederate soldiers still walking the battlefields, and tales of benevolent visitations from long-dead relatives have been a staple of Southern culture in particular and American history in general. This belief in ghosts has created the modern fascination with scientific investigations of ethereal occurrences. These practices range from channeling and spirit possession to the actual documentation and recording of extraordinary actions, encounters, noises, sightings, smells, and visitations.
Using oral history as his primary methodological tool, and serving as an occasional participant and observer, Brown fuses together a book that contains many specific references to the supernatural. Without …
For more go to:
http://ohr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/09/16/ohr.ohr072.full
Number of Visits: 4834
The latest
Most visited
Two Narratives on the Events of September 8, 1978
"On September 8, most of the military personnel feigned illness and did not participate in enforcing martial law. I know of a battalion commander who had come from Maragheh to Tehran, only to head to Shahr-e Rey to his sister's house. When his sister asked him why he had come to Tehran, he replied, 'I am a battalion commander enforcing martial law.'How the Tabriz Army Barracks Were Seized
The major explained the plan like this: "When you first enter, tell him to hand over the weapons. Once he puts the guns on the table, grab them and give them to me, since I’m the military man here. Then, tell him to hand over his pistol as well. He might comply, or he might refuse, possibly even shooting one of you. In that case, I’ll fire back with my Uzi.Imam Khomeini
Every time there was a message from Imam Khomeini, the people who followed their broadcasting, quickly found people like me to write the message on the screen or placard for them. On the same day when this order of the Imam arrived from Paris, one of the same comrades hurriedly came to the shop in the evening and said that a message from the Imam had just reached us.From Defining the Plan to Estimating the Costs of Oral History Project
According to Iranian Oral History Website, the third online session of “Oral History School” was held by Iranian History Association on Monday evening, July 8, 2024. In this session, Dr. Mehdi Abolhasani Taraghi gave a lecture focused on “Finding a Topic and Defining the Plan in Oral History”.
