Rethinking Methodologies in Parapsychology Research with Children

Thomas, Donna orcid iconORCID: 0000-0002-8232-5778 (2022) Rethinking Methodologies in Parapsychology Research with Children. Journal of Anomalistics, 22 (2). pp. 400-426. ISSN 2747-9315

[thumbnail of VOR]
Preview
PDF (VOR) - Published Version
925kB

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.23793/zfa.2022.400

Abstract

In contemporary parapsychology research, children are missing. The wealth of literature with adults highlights children’s paranormal experiences as an under-researched topic. Through this article, I argue for children’s inclusion in parapsychology research, but with a caveat – as active agents, rather than passive objects. I consider the convergences between missing children and absent women researchers in parapsychology and argue for a rethinking of traditional research methodologies in the field of parapsychology. Traditional methodologies rooted in a patriarchal system could explain the exclusion of children, and the othering of women researchers in the field. I include a discussion around my own research with children, which produces different kinds of meanings and data in the act of knowledge production around paranormal or unexplained experiences.


Repository Staff Only: item control page