How did the 19th-century Spiritualist movement shape society?

Spiritualism was a popular social and religious movement from the 1840s to the 1920s based on the belief that the dead can communicate with the living. Flourishing primarily in English-speaking countries without formal texts or organization, it relied on periodicals, trance lectures, and mediums. Many prominent adherents were women who supported progressive causes like the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage.

What we know

• Spiritualism is a social religious movement centered on the belief that human awareness persists after death and can be contacted by the living. [2]
• The movement reached its largest following from the 1840s to the 1920s, thriving particularly in English-speaking countries without initial formal organization or canonical texts. [2]
• Spiritualistic traditions share deep roots in ancient forms of religion and practices that resemble shamanism and animism. [3]
• Many prominent spiritualists were women who supported social causes such as the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage. [2]
• By the late 1880s, the credibility of the informal movement weakened due to accusations of fraud perpetrated by mediums, leading to the rise of formal organizations. [2]

Still open

• Emanuel Swedenborg has some claim to being the father of spiritualism, though the precise boundaries of his foundational influence remain open to interpretation.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Emanuel Swedenborg?
• how it workedWhat role did mediums play in 19th-century Spiritualism?
• what followedHow did accusations of fraud affect Spiritualism?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the philosophical definition of spiritualism?
• compared withHow does animism relate to spiritualist traditions?
• an unexpected connectionHow did 19th-century spiritualist ideas parallel indigenous shamanism?Spiritualistic traditions and modern mediumship share deep roots in ancient shamanistic practices of interacting with invisible parallel worlds.

Sources

• [1]spiritualism (Wikidata Q829348) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Spiritualism (movement) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Spiritualism (beliefs) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Spiritualism (philosophy) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0