Learning to become a medium in English spiritualism. An example of ethnography from the “inside”
Laure Montarry
Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique October 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/07591063261478310 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Apprentice spiritualist mediums in contemporary England, followed for more than six consecutive years |
| Duration | More than six consecutive years |
| Key findings | Argues that the author's own subjective participation in the same learning exercises as her informants was decisive, not obstructive, for understanding how apprentice mediums' experiences transform belief into knowledge, including belief in a "spiritual interiority" or "a soul." |
Abstract
This article presents the ethnographic method I used for my anthropological study of the learning mechanisms of contemporary English spiritualist mediumship. More specifically, I show how this method enabled me to gain better access to certain processes in the construction of the “belief” of my informants, in particular the belief in a “spiritual interiority”, i.e., “a soul”. I show that my own subjective involvement in the field as a social scientist, by taking part in the same learning exercises as my informants, not only did not hinder the “scientific” collection of my data but was decisive in shedding light on what it is about the experiences of the apprentice-mediums I followed for more than six consecutive years that can transform belief into knowledge.