Ghosts and Spirits in Society and Culture

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This module provides a broad introduction to the scholarly world of ghosts, spirits, and other supernatural beings, as well as the specialists and practitioners closely involved with these forces. These include shamanism, spirit possession, exorcism, witchcraft and sorcery, as well as other supernatural entities such as zombies, vampires, poltergeists and werewolves. We closely interrogate how these forces intersect with issues of class, gender, ethnicity, religiosity, popular culture, modernity and social change. It will include in the discussion empirical cases drawn from different parts of the world, including Singapore. Not surprisingly, given the range of societies and cultures covered, considerable differences exist.