Modern Enchantments: Science, Religion, and Magic in Modernizinig America

Scholars have long equated modernity with “disenchantment,” the subordination of magic and mysticism to the forces of science and secularization. Recent scholarship, however, has challenged this view, suggesting that the persistence of magical worldviews has been integral to the development of modernity itself. In this course, we will explore the various interactions, both conflicting and complementary, between science, religion, and magic in the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century United States. Topics will include spiritualism, hypnosis, phrenology, optical illusions, alternative medicines, stage magic, and the early psychology of religion. Throughout, we will interrogate the concept of modernity and the narrative of disenchantment.