Performing Magnetism

The cultural and scientific significance of animal magnetism as performance. The long nineteenth century bears the mark of Anton Mesmer. In a burgeoning media landscape, and in an emerging entertainment culture that fashioned growing numbers of people into audiences, the performative qualities of Me...

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Médium: Online
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: Leuven University Press 2026
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On-line přístup:ONIX_20260415T184306_9789461667526_3
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collection Directory of Open Access Books
description The cultural and scientific significance of animal magnetism as performance. The long nineteenth century bears the mark of Anton Mesmer. In a burgeoning media landscape, and in an emerging entertainment culture that fashioned growing numbers of people into audiences, the performative qualities of Mesmer’s magnetic healing techniques came to define magnetism’s cultural power. Shaped by many performers, magnetism flowed into other practices – mentalist, somnambulist, spiritist, hypnotist, mystical, magical and medical. Examining mesmerism as a socially and theatrically embedded phenomenon, Performing Magnetism shows that it was not merely a medical or pseudoscientific practice but a performative and culturally situated one. Drawing on new case studies from Europe, Asia and Northern Africa, the book offers a transnational perspective on nineteenth-century epistemologies and explores how magnetic practices intersected with science, art, popular entertainment, and engagement with the occult. Its interdisciplinary scope will engage readers interested in the cultural history of performance, media, and knowledge.
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language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
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publisherStr Leuven University Press
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1758662026-06-04T07:25:02Z Performing Magnetism Paklons, Eleonora Smeyers, Kristof Vanhoutte, Kurt Welslau, Hannah Animal magnetism Performance Mesmerism Popular entertainment Gender Media studies Cultural history History of knowledge thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AT Performing arts::ATY History of Performing Arts thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AF The Arts: art forms::AFK Non-graphic and electronic art forms::AFKP Performance art thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHB General and world history The cultural and scientific significance of animal magnetism as performance. The long nineteenth century bears the mark of Anton Mesmer. In a burgeoning media landscape, and in an emerging entertainment culture that fashioned growing numbers of people into audiences, the performative qualities of Mesmer’s magnetic healing techniques came to define magnetism’s cultural power. Shaped by many performers, magnetism flowed into other practices – mentalist, somnambulist, spiritist, hypnotist, mystical, magical and medical. Examining mesmerism as a socially and theatrically embedded phenomenon, Performing Magnetism shows that it was not merely a medical or pseudoscientific practice but a performative and culturally situated one. Drawing on new case studies from Europe, Asia and Northern Africa, the book offers a transnational perspective on nineteenth-century epistemologies and explores how magnetic practices intersected with science, art, popular entertainment, and engagement with the occult. Its interdisciplinary scope will engage readers interested in the cultural history of performance, media, and knowledge. 2026-04-20T09:14:23Z 2026-04-20T09:14:23Z 2026-04-16T12:33:58Z 2026 book ONIX_20260415T184306_9789461667526_3 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/112431 9789461667526 9789461667519 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/175866 eng open access image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/112431/1/9789461667519.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/112431/1/9789461667519.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/112431/1/9789461667519.pdf Leuven University Press Leuven University Press 10.11116/9789461667526 10.11116/9789461667526 9e472607-bec3-4b15-ba3f-f05039722389 9789461667526 9789461667519 Leuven University Press 250 Leuven open access
spellingShingle Animal magnetism
Performance
Mesmerism
Popular entertainment
Gender
Media studies
Cultural history
History of knowledge
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AT Performing arts::ATY History of Performing Arts
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AF The Arts: art forms::AFK Non-graphic and electronic art forms::AFKP Performance art
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHB General and world history
Performing Magnetism
title Performing Magnetism
title_full Performing Magnetism
title_fullStr Performing Magnetism
title_full_unstemmed Performing Magnetism
title_short Performing Magnetism
title_sort performing magnetism
topic Animal magnetism
Performance
Mesmerism
Popular entertainment
Gender
Media studies
Cultural history
History of knowledge
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AT Performing arts::ATY History of Performing Arts
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AF The Arts: art forms::AFK Non-graphic and electronic art forms::AFKP Performance art
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHB General and world history
topic_facet Animal magnetism
Performance
Mesmerism
Popular entertainment
Gender
Media studies
Cultural history
History of knowledge
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHT History: specific events and topics::NHTB Social and cultural history
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AT Performing arts::ATY History of Performing Arts
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology
thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AF The Arts: art forms::AFK Non-graphic and electronic art forms::AFKP Performance art
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHB General and world history
url ONIX_20260415T184306_9789461667526_3