Episode 23 - Ecology, anthropology and the paranormal with Dr Jack Hunter

You can listen to this episode using the file below, or find it online at iTunes, Spotify or by following this link. https://anchor.fm/kim-mccaul/episodes/Episode-23---Ecology--anthropology-and-the-paranormal-with-Dr-Jack-Hunter-eeeto1

My guest on this episode is Dr Jack Hunter who spoke with me from his home in the hills of mid-Wales. Jack is is an anthropologist exploring the borderlands of consciousness, religion, ecology and the paranormal. in 2017 he received his PhD in anthropology for his study of spirit mediumship in the UK and despite still being a pretty young guy he is quickly becoming one of the leading scholars in the anthropology of consciousness. He is producing the kind of writing I would have loved to have existed when I was going through university and struggled to find suitable references to support my budding passion for an experiential anthropology of consciousness. I first discovered him when he brought out the Paranthropology Journal which is freely available online. He is the author of Why People Believe in Spirits, God and Magic and has published a range of edited volumes including Talking with the Spirits, Strange Dimensions, Damned Facts, Engaging the Anomalous and his most recent Greening the Paranormal. It is Greening the Paranormal that we discuss here, exploring topics such as the role of religion and spirituality in tackling the ecological crisis, how different belief systems influence our relationship with the land, animism and a relational ontology as ways to change the way we interact wth the Earth and much more. At a time where the future of our planet may very well depend on the relationship each one of us is able to foster with her, these topics are of the upmost importance and so I hope you enjoy this conversation.

To find out more about Jack's work or get in touch with him visit his websites:

https://jack-hunter.webstarts.com/books.html
http://paranthropologyjournal.weebly.com