Spiritualism and British Society Between the Wars

Historians of modern British culture have long assumed that interest in spiritualism had faded by the end of the Great War. Jenny Hazelgrove challenges this assumption and shows how spiritualism grew between the wars and became part of the fabric of popular culture.

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Historians of modern British culture have long assumed that under pressure from secular forces, interest in spiritualism had faded by the end of the Great War. Jenny Hazelgrove challenges this assumption and shows how spiritualism grew between the wars and became part of the fabric of popular culture. This work provides an insight into an alternative culture that flourished - alongside more conventional outlets for spiritual beliefs and needs. Hazelgrove uses a vast range of primary material from this period, such as films, novels and autobiographies, as well as mass observation surveys to present her case. Hazelgrove suggests that the movement continued to gain in popularity after World War I, and explores the raging contemporary debate over its meaning. By doing this, she engages with issues of gender, subjectivity and power in relation to the development of the image of the medium and of spiritualism in general.