The mesmerists inquire about "Oriental mind powers": West meets East in the search for the universal trance.

Before modern scientific research on meditation, Western mesmerists in the 18th and 19th centuries investigated Asian contemplative practices and Oriental medicine. These mesmerists, influenced by their philosophy and interest in mind-body connections, explored Hindu meditative techniques in ways that challenged Western cultural imperialism of the era. Their inquiries were unique for the time and subverted dominant colonial attitudes. The article traces historical continuities and discontinuities between these early mesmerist investigations and twentieth-century meditation research, arguing that the mesmerists' work represents an overlooked precursor to contemporary scientific interest in Asian meditation practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Contemporary interest in Asian meditation raises questions about when Westerners began investigating these practices. A synopsis of Western-originating scientific meditation research is followed by a brief introduction to mesmerism. Next, the unappreciated ways the mesmerists explored Oriental mind powers is recounted. How the mesmerists' cultural positioning, philosophy, and interest in mind-body practices facilitated their inquiries of Oriental medicine and Hindu contemplative practices is explored, followed by a consideration of why these investigations were unique for the era. The way this work subverted Western cultural imperialism is examined. A consideration of the historical continuities and discontinuities between the mesmerists' inquiries and twentieth-century meditation research concludes the article.