Consequently an attempt is made to develop a more adequate theoretical perspective, one which gives due weight to the distinctive characteristics of modern superstitious belief and practice. However, such theories necessarily involve presenting superstition as equivalent to magic whilst failing to address the nature of modern superstition. The predominant response to date has been to view this phenomenon as an evolutionary 'survival' and to invoke psychological theories which neglect both culture and history. The fact that superstition persists in modern industrial societies is identified as a continuing problem for sociology. Moreover, ghost legends occasionally prove vehicles for the transmission of ideological messages in the post-war identity processes of the Bosniak ethnic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ghost narratives play a significant role in the war discourse: through them, the Bosniak inhabitants of the Srebrenica region, lacking social and political power in the Serb-dominated territory, are able to articulate and maintain their memory of the massacre, reclaim the space, acquire some sense of control over the situation, and thus, ultimately, acquire some empowerment. The article argues that these stories are the effects of the persistent denial of the genocide by the Serbian population and of a strong sense among Bosniaks that justice has not yet been properly restored nor the perpetrators adequately punished. It focuses on three clusters of belief narratives spread among the Bosniaks: narratives about ghosts of the unburied dead narratives about the dead buried in the cemetery for the victims of the massacre and narratives about a murdered imam appearing at the site of a demolished mosque, calling the faithful to prayer. Immediate institutional responses to changed conditions may not, therefore, correlate directly with a corresponding change in ghost belief.īased on field research, this article studies the role of ghost narratives about the dead killed in the genocide of the Bosniak people in Srebrenica. A key finding, considering sociological discussions of secularisation and historiographical associations of heterodox beliefs with political radicalism, is that personal folk beliefs are slower developing and more conservative than institutional forms, which respond more quickly to socio-economic changes. This ability to adjust between apparently different registers of discussion also illustrates how ghost beliefs fit the structures of other, more institutional, belief systems held by informants. The interrelationship between oral narrative and artistic representation highlights the shaping and exchange of stories to accommodate belief content. Some accounts were related as polished stories, but this did not impact directly on their belief content. Informants discussed a broad range of phenomena within a consideration of ‘ghosts’: there is no easy correlation of a narrator’s interpretation and the kind of manifestation being described.
Informants brought a sophisticated range of influences to bear on narratives and their interpretation, including some scientific knowledge and understanding.
This does not preclude jokes, disagreements or the discrediting of specific events, so long as the discussion considers ghosts attentively and seriously. The circulation of ghost narratives takes place within social groups defined in part by their seriousness about the discussion. The research began with some basic questions: who believes what do they believe how do they narrate their stories and how do they understand this in the context of other beliefs? This research found a broad social spread of ghost belief. Through questionnaire, personal interview, and email correspondence, the beliefs and experiences of 227 people were assessed, and considered against historical and international analogous material. The townspeople are freaked out, and now the mayor has invited you, an experienced ghost hunter, to investigate the strange and somewhat suspicious events at Wayne Manor.This project examined, by qualitative investigation, the actual content and mechanics of ghost beliefs in Britain today. Others have spotted shadowy figures on the grounds. Some folks say they've heard screams and moans. Put your supernatural powers to the test in this spine-chilling sequel to the popular seek-and-find adventure Paranormal Agency!Īn old mansion on the outskirts of a peaceful village is reported to be haunted by evil spirits.
0 kommentar(er)
