Spirit knows: materiality, memory and the recovery of Spiritualist places and practices in Stoke-on-Trent

Abstract

Much has been written about constructing memories of place, yet few speak of the difficulties in dealing with lost, partial and fragmented histories of place. We argue that behind the idea of 'memory of place' is an assumption that these memories are recoverable and can build a sense of place. Our research has led us to assume the opposite: not just that the fragments of history cannot build a complete memory of place, but that this understanding of memory and place is itself skewed by its reliance on materiality. This paper stems from a project that explores the place of spirituality in everyday life through insights from Spiritualist churches and their congregations. Whilst evidence of Spiritualist locations can be partially obtained through documentary records, a key challenge has been in understanding practices in the context of Spiritualism's disassociation with materiality and the centrality of Spirit. The paper concludes that retracing Spiritualism's past, and capturing its contemporary spiritual practices, uncovers a 'memory of place' that is not only in constant transience, but that can only be known through Spirit. L'Esprit le sait: matérialité, mémoire et récupérationde lieux et pratiques du spiritualisme à Stoke-on-Trent RÉSUMÉOn a beaucoup écrit sur la construction de mémoires d'un lieu et pourtant peu parlent des difficultés à gérer les histoires perdues, partielles et fragmentées d'un lieu. Nous soutenons que derrière l'idée de « mémoire d'un lieu » se trouve une assomption que les mémoires sont récupérables et peuvent construire un esprit du lieu. Notre recherche nous a mené à assumer le contraire : pas seulement que les fragments d'histoire ne peuvent pas construire une mémoire complète du lieu, mais aussi que cette compréhension de la mémoire et du lieu est elle-même déformée par sa dépendance de la matérialité. Cet article a son origine dans un projet qui explore le lieu de spiritualité dans la vie de tous les jours à traversla connaissance d'églises et de congrégations spiritualistes. Bien que des preuves d'emplacements spiritualistes puissent être obtenues partiellement à travers ladocumentationde registres, un défi majeur a été de comprendre les pratiques dans le contexte de la dissociation entre le Spiritualisme et la matérialité et de la centralité de l'Esprit. Cet article conclut que retracer le passé du Spiritualisme et saisir ses pratiques spirituelles contemporaines mettent à jour une « mémoire du lieu » qui non seulement est en constante transition mais encore qui peut seulement être connue à travers l'Esprit.El espíritu sabe: materialidad, memoria y recuperación de lugares y prácticas espiritistas en Stoke-on-Trent RESUMENMucho se ha escrito sobre la construcción de memorias de lugar, sin embargo, poco se habla de las dificultades para lidiar con historias de lugar perdidas, parciales y fragmentadas. Se argumenta que detrás de la idea de 'memoria de lugar' está la suposición de que estos recuerdos son recuperables y que pueden construir un sentido de lugar. Nuestra investigación ha ...

Three participatory geographers: reflections on positionality and working with participants in researching religions, spiritualities, and faith

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Recording Loss: film as method and the spirit of Orford Ness

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Talking with the dead: Spirit mediumship, affect and embodiment in Stoke‐on‐Trent

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