Edith Turner

The Anthropologist as Paranormal Witness

Edith Turner (1921-2016), affectionately known as Edie, was an English-American anthropologist renowned for her extensive work in ritual, healing, and the concept of “communitas”. Collaborating closely with her husband, Victor Witter Turner, she contributed significantly to socio-cultural anthropology, and continued to advance these fields independently after his passing in 1983.

This updated resource guide aims to put all relevant information about Edith Turner’s contributions to fields of paranormal study in one place.

What did Edith Turner do that was so influential?

Edith Turner admitted to witnessing spirit manifestations during fieldwork.
Edith Turner developed the concept of “communitas” in ritual experiences.
Edith Turner promoted experiential participation in spiritual practices.

1. Edith Turner admitted to witnessing spirit manifestations during fieldwork.

In 1985, during a healing ritual among the Ndembu people of Zambia, Edie had a transformative experience that would shape the rest of her career. While observing a traditional doctor perform a curative ritual, she saw something extraordinary:

“I saw with my own eyes a giant thing emerging out of the flesh of her back. This thing was a large gray blob about six inches across, a deep gray opaque thing emerging as a sphere. I was amazed—delighted. I still laugh with glee at the realization of having seen it, the ihamba [a spiritual contaminant removed through psychic surgery], and so big! We were all just one in triumph. The gray thing was actually out there, visible, and you could see Singleton’s hands working and scrabbling on the back—and then the thing was there no more.”

This pivotal moment led Edie to embrace the reality of spirits and challenge the anthropological status quo. She detailed this experience in her book Experiencing Ritual, arguing that spirit manifestations were not merely metaphors or symbols, but tangible phenomena worthy of serious study.

Edie’s willingness to “go native” and immerse herself in the spiritual worldviews of the cultures she studied set her apart from many of her contemporaries. She advocated for a more open-minded approach to understanding indigenous spiritual practices, urging anthropologists to consider the possibility that these experiences were real rather than dismissing them as mere cultural constructs.

2. Edith Turner developed the concept of “communitas” in ritual experiences.

Building on the work of her late husband Victor Turner, Edie expanded the concept of “communitas” – a sense of unity and shared experience that emerges during rituals. She explored how these moments of collective joy and spiritual connection could lead to profound personal and social transformations.

In her book Communitas: The Anthropology of Collective Joy, Edie examined various cultural contexts where communitas occurs, from religious ceremonies to modern music festivals. She argued that these experiences of shared ecstasy and transcendence were fundamental to human spirituality and social bonding.

Edie’s work on communitas provides a framework for understanding paranormal group experiences, such as séances, ghost hunts, and other collective spiritual practices. By emphasizing the importance of shared emotional and spiritual states, she offered insights into why people seek out and value paranormal experiences.

3. Edith Turner promoted “experiential participation” in spiritual practices.

Throughout her career, Edie championed a methodology she called “experiential participation.” This approach involved actively engaging in the rituals and spiritual practices of the cultures she studied, rather than maintaining a detached observer’s perspective.

Edie argued that to truly understand spiritual and paranormal phenomena, researchers needed to open themselves to the possibility of experiencing these events firsthand. This methodology challenged the traditional academic taboo against “going native” and paved the way for more immersive approaches to studying the paranormal.

Her work inspired a generation of anthropologists and paranormal researchers to adopt more participatory methods. By legitimizing personal experience as a valid source of anthropological data, Edie helped bridge the gap between academic study and lived spiritual realities.

Edie’s approach to experiential participation extended beyond her fieldwork. She incorporated these principles into her teaching, famously conducting shamanic workshops and trance experiences with her students at the University of Virginia.

Edith Turner’s contributions to anthropology and paranormal studies continue to resonate today. Her willingness to challenge academic orthodoxy, coupled with her rigorous fieldwork and innovative methodologies, opened new avenues for exploring the intersection of culture, spirituality, and the paranormal.