Don’t be spooked – ghost tourism talk to shine light on Victorian obsession with the macabre

  • Acadedmics to discuss rise of supernatural in Victorian and Edwardian society
  • Roots can be traced to today's fascination with ghostly goings-on

‘GHOST tourism’ may sound like a grisly subject but it’s perfect for Halloween.

Our fascination with ghosts and spectres dates back to the Victorian era when society became obsesssed with the spiritual world.

Shedding a light on the topic today – appropriately enough on Halloween – will be Dr Emma Liggins, a lecturer in English literature who is giving a talk at Men Met organised by the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies.

The talk – titled Spiritualism and the Supernatural – will look at the communication of child spirits and other connections to the dead in Victorian and Edwardian society.

Dr Liggins will be in discussion with Dr Tatiana Kontou from Oxford Brookes University and Dr Rachel Ironside from Robert Gordon University.

She said: “The discussions of Victorian and Edwardian spiritualism and the rise of ghost tourism raise broader questions about different ways of communicating with the dead, or dealing with loss, and the place of the paranormal in popular culture.”

The talk is being held in the Arts and Humanities building at 4.30pm.