This book is the first in-depth study of the changing perceptions and receptions of supernatural bodies in modern Britain and Ireland. It focuses on one phenomenon that became hotly contested and discussed in the public sphere between 1840 and 1940: the stigmata.
In 1874, an Irish reporter asked why the wounds of the crucified Christ on mortal bodies could 'not be discussed with calmness...without indulging in angry rhetoric'. Supernatural bodies takes that question seriously. It draws on previously unexamined archival materials to place supernatural bodies at the heart of long-lasting discussions about the position of Roman Catholicism in society; the supernatural in modern Christianity and society; the authority of sciences; the relationship between Britain and Ireland, and between Britain and the Continent.
Through the lens of stigmata controversies, this book shows how these discussions could converge around supernatural bodies.
By:
Kristof Smeyers Imprint: Manchester University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
ISBN:9781526177230 ISBN 10: 1526177234 Pages: 264 Publication Date:01 October 2024 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 1 A Roman Catholic horror 2 Supernatural popery 3 A corpus of bodies 4 Bodily credentials 5 Unhealthy religion 6 Under the skin 7 In defence of the supernatural 8 Public knowledge and judgment Conclusion -- .
Kristof Smeyers is a Research Fellow at the University of Louvain.
