期刊名称：Totem : the University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology
印刷版ISSN：1203-8830
电子版ISSN：1925-8542
出版年度：2013
卷号：21
期号：1
出版社：University of Western Ontario
摘要：Bereavement following the loss of a loved one has and always will remain a panhuman constant. Anincreasingly popularized form of healing is asserting itself in the form of mediumship. This paper seeks toinvestigate contemporary forms of mediumship in North America through critical analysis of the TLC show,Long Island Medium. Rather than questioning the validity of such practices, it instead strives to deconstruct thesymbolic healing system surrounding the medium. This healing system serves to assure cultural constructionsof an afterlife while acknowledging the presence and ability of spirits gaining agency through after-deathcommunication. Furthermore, this paper seeks to assert that mediumship can in fact draw the bereaved fromthe liminal state of mourning into active life once again
