Brazilian Spiritism (espiritismo; kardecismo) is an important middle-class religious movement whose followers believe in communication with the dead via spirit mediums and in healing illnesses by means of spiritual therapies. Unlike Anglo-Saxon Spiritualists; Brazilian Spiritists count among their number a well-developed and institutionalized intellectual elite that has reinterpreted northern hemisphere parapsychology and developed its own alternative medicine and sociology of religion. As a result; the mediation between popular religion (especially Afro-Brazilian religious practices) and the orthodoxies of the universities; the state; and the medical profession.Situating Spiritist intellectual thought in what he calls a broader ideological arena; Hess examines Spiritism in the context of religion; science; political ideology; medicine; and even the social sciences. Hess challenges the legacy of French sociologist Roger Bastide; who saw in Spiritism an elitist; middle-class ideology. In the process; Spirits and Scientists provides a new approach to middle-class religious movements in Latin America.
#272055 in Books imusti 2016-04-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.13 x 8.00l; .0 #File Name: 0262033992848 pagesMit Press
Review
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful. It doesn't get any better than this.By P. BruneauThis is the new bible of gaming: 49 articles by luminaries in the field - yes actual game designers discussing their views on gaming; whether it's paper or computer in 9 separate sections variously titled: Paper Wars ; War Engines; Operations; The Bleeding Edge; Systems and Situations; The War Room plus others. 800 pages on acid-free paper; beautifully bound about our collective passion: theory and practice of war games.It doesn't get any better than this. get it while you can.5 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Paul G.Very interesting essays on a hobby that gets little serious attention such as this.17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Important and Essential Work on Wargame Theory and HistoryBy J. SextonIt took a long time to finish this massive (over 800 pages and more than 50 chapters) and important work. For people who are involved in wargames; be they hobbyist; professional military; game designer; or merely curious; this is a fascinating look at the theory; history; and design aspects of wargames. It discusses both computer wargames (traditional videogames) and physical (hex and counter) wargames. Both popular (for consumers) and military (pretty much classified) are covered. It touches on reenactment and first person shooter games as well.The chapters tend to be dense as there is a lot of information presented. Furthermore; that information made me think about it and the ramifications; so it is not a quick read. There are major names in wargame theory and design who have contributed. I wish the table of contents listed the contributors with their chapters; but if you expand the book description; you can find a list. Tetsuya Nakamura; Peter P. Perla; Thomas C. Schelling; Laurent Closier; and Philip Sabin are ones who wrote passages that I particularly enjoyed.While I enjoyed the chapters on traditional wargames (as opposed to video/computer versions) the most; I can easily understand the ones on electronic versions. My friends who play such games tell me that those chapters are pretty standard in outlook. I found the outlook of some of the academics who study the people who play electronic wargames (as opposed to playing the games themselves for pleasure) to be predictable responses. However; the more theoretical chapters about design and theory of wargames more than made up for those less interesting to me. Also interesting were the ideas about using them in classrooms and how to market them to non-wargamers.Who would like it? Anyone who enjoys wargames and the theory behind them. Game designers. Military wargamers. Historians who might be interested in military history. People who are involved in marketing wargames. It is well worth the time and effort to read it. It is a book I will long remember.
