
Spiritism in Brazil
While researching in Brazil, I became fascinated by Spiritism. It is a mainstream and respected religion there, with highly educated adherents. You have Spiritist magazines, television programmes, bookstores. The religion that Allan Kardec invented in 19th century France, building upon the spiritualism that inspired people to communicate with spirits via Ouija boards and seances on both sides of the Atlantic, has taken on a life of its own, and a real legitimacy, in Brazil.
I’ve researched various aspects of Brazilian Spiritism — its history, its intersection with folk religions, its outsized role in popular culture — and spoken about it at conferences and seminars. This essay is my deep dive into the country’s Spiritist publishing industry, whereby spirit mediums publish best-selling books dictated from beyond the grave.