Julian Ochorowicz's experiments with Eusapia Palladino 1894: The temporality of mass media and the crisis of local credibility.

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  • Author(s): Surman J;Surman J
  • Source:
    Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences [J Hist Behav Sci] 2022 Jan; Vol. 58 (1), pp. 24-41. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 28.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 18020010R Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1520-6696 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00225061 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Hist Behav Sci Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: New York : Wiley
      Original Publication: [Brandon, Vt.]
    • Subject Terms:
    • Abstract:
      Julian Ochorowicz (1850-1917) belonged to the first generation of psychologists who regarded this discipline as a scientific, positive endeavor. At the same time, he was a representative of psychic sciences, following a strictly positivist attitude to researching psychic phenomena. This article discusses the key event of his career, experiments with the famous medium Eusapia Palladino, in Warsaw, between late 1893 and early 1894. Ochorowicz's séances with Palladino attracted wide local and international attention and improved his standing as an internationally leading psychic researcher. In Warsaw, however, these experiments were fiercely controversial and, as a result, Ochorowicz was discredited and left the city. As I argue, this dissociation of credibilities was the outcome of a changing media landscape in the late nineteenth century. While Ochorowicz's strategy of boundary-work and asserting his credibility aimed at scholarly media, it proved fatal when facing intensive, daily coverage in the popular press.
      (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Poland; boundary-work; credibility; pariah science; positivism; science and media; spiritism
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20210728 Date Completed: 20220124 Latest Revision: 20220124
    • Publication Date:
      20240105
    • Accession Number:
      10.1002/jhbs.22119
    • Accession Number:
      34320226