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This is a well-written, engaging, and rewarding book. --Reading Religion The supernatural is surprisingly closer than we imagine, even in a modern, scientifically sophisticated world. Bridges Between Worlds offers a fascinating, experience-near account of spiritualism and supernaturalism in contemporary Iceland. --Tanya Marie Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back In the land of Iceland, seemingly far-removed from the rest of the world, people of spiritual bent perform andleg mal to re-enchant a modernized world. Corinne Dempsey breaks new ground in this reflexive ethnography that places her within the narrative itself. Without being apologetic she empathetically demonstrates that her Icelandic friends are on a quest for something beyond the realm of the rational world we inhabit. This book will become an instant classic in contemporary spirituality studies. --Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University Bridges between Worlds, is a first-rate ethnography of spiritualism in Iceland. Most studies of trance and possession focus on non-European cultures, so it is refreshing to discover such a thoughtful study of such practices in Europe. The heart of the book is its rich and sympathetic descriptions of Icelandic Spiritualists, who truly come alive in these pages, as does the author herself. Bridges between Worlds will be a very useful book for those interested in religion in Iceland, trance, possession, healing, esotericism, and contemporary spiritual practices in Europe. --William S. Sax, Professor and Head of Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University The supernatural is surprisingly closer than we imagine, even in a modern, scientifically sophisticated world. Bridges Between Worlds offers a fascinating, experience-near account of spiritualism and supernaturalism in contemporary Iceland. --Tanya Marie Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back In the land of Iceland, seemingly far-removed from the rest of the world, people of spiritual bent perform andleg mal to re-enchant a modernized world. Corinne Dempsey breaks new ground in this reflexive ethnography that places her within the narrative itself. Without being apologetic she empathetically demonstrates that her Icelandic friends are on a quest for something beyond the realm of the rational world we inhabit. This book will become an instant classic in contemporary spirituality studies. --Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University Bridges between Worlds, is a first-rate ethnography of spiritualism in Iceland. Most studies of trance and possession focus on non-European cultures, so it is refreshing to discover such a thoughtful study of such practices in Europe. The heart of the book is its rich and sympathetic descriptions of Icelandic Spiritualists, who truly come alive in these pages, as does the author herself. Bridges between Worlds will be a very useful book for those interested in religion in Iceland, trance, possession, healing, esotericism, and contemporary spiritual practices in Europe. --William S. Sax, Professor and Head of Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University

This is a well-written, engaging, and rewarding book. --Reading Religion The supernatural is surprisingly closer than we imagine, even in a modern, scientifically sophisticated world. Bridges Between Worlds offers a fascinating, experience-near account of spiritualism and supernaturalism in contemporary Iceland. --Tanya Marie Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back In the land of Iceland, seemingly far-removed from the rest of the world, people of spiritual bent perform andleg mal to re-enchant a modernized world. Corinne Dempsey breaks new ground in this reflexive ethnography that places her within the narrative itself. Without being apologetic she empathetically demonstrates that her Icelandic friends are on a quest for something beyond the realm of the rational world we inhabit. This book will become an instant classic in contemporary spirituality studies. --Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University Bridges between Worlds, is a first-rate ethnography of spiritualism in Iceland. Most studies of trance and possession focus on non-European cultures, so it is refreshing to discover such a thoughtful study of such practices in Europe. The heart of the book is its rich and sympathetic descriptions of Icelandic Spiritualists, who truly come alive in these pages, as does the author herself. Bridges between Worlds will be a very useful book for those interested in religion in Iceland, trance, possession, healing, esotericism, and contemporary spiritual practices in Europe. --William S. Sax, Professor and Head of Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University The supernatural is surprisingly closer than we imagine, even in a modern, scientifically sophisticated world. Bridges Between Worlds offers a fascinating, experience-near account of spiritualism and supernaturalism in contemporary Iceland. --Tanya Marie Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back In the land of Iceland, seemingly far-removed from the rest of the world, people of spiritual bent perform andleg mal to re-enchant a modernized world. Corinne Dempsey breaks new ground in this reflexive ethnography that places her within the narrative itself. Without being apologetic she empathetically demonstrates that her Icelandic friends are on a quest for something beyond the realm of the rational world we inhabit. This book will become an instant classic in contemporary spirituality studies. --Frank J. Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University Bridges between Worlds, is a first-rate ethnography of spiritualism in Iceland. Most studies of trance and possession focus on non-European cultures, so it is refreshing to discover such a thoughtful study of such practices in Europe. The heart of the book is its rich and sympathetic descriptions of Icelandic Spiritualists, who truly come alive in these pages, as does the author herself. Bridges between Worlds will be a very useful book for those interested in religion in Iceland, trance, possession, healing, esotericism, and contemporary spiritual practices in Europe. --William S. Sax, Professor and Head of Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University

Author Information

Corinne G. Dempsey is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Director of International and Global Studies, and Rose Marie Beston Chair for International Studies at Nazareth College. She is author of Bringing the Sacred Down to Earth: Adventures in Comparative Religion (OUP 2011), The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple (OUP 2005), and Kerala Christian Sainthood: Collisions of Culture and Worldview in South India (OUP 2001).

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