The Lure of the Edge : Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs
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| Title: | The Lure of the Edge : Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs |
|---|---|
| Description: | UFO phenomena entered American consciousness at the beginning of the Cold War, when reports from astonished witnesses of encounters with unknown aerial objects captured the attention of the United States military and the imagination of the press and the public. But when UFOs appeared not to be hostile, and when some scientists pronounced the sightings to be of natural meteorological phenomena misidentified due to'Cold War jitters,'military interest declined sharply and, with it, further overt scientific interest. Yet sighting reports didn't stop and UFOs entered the public imagination as a cultural myth of the twentieth century. Brenda Denzler's comprehensive, clearly written, and compelling narrative provides the first sustained overview and valuation of the UFO/alien abduction movement as a social phenomenon positioned between scientific and religious perspectives. Demonstrating the unique place ufology occupies in the twentieth-century nexus between science and religion, Denzler surveys the sociological contours of its community, assesses its persistent attempt to achieve scientific legitimacy, and concludes with an examination of the movement's metaphysical or spiritual outlook. Her book is a substantial contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the boundaries of American religion and to the debate about the nature of science and religion.Denzler presents a thorough and fascinating history of the UFO/abduction movement and traces the tensions between those who are deeply ambivalent about abduction narratives that seemingly erode their quest for scientific credibility, and the growing cultural power of those who claim to have been abducted. She locates the phenomenon within the context of American religious history and, using data gathered in surveys, sheds new light on the social profile of these UFO communities. The Lure of the Edge succeeds brilliantly in repositioning a cultural phenomenon considered by many to be bizarre and marginal into a central debate about the nature of science, technology, and the production of a modern myth. |
| Authors: | Brenda Denzler |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Religion and science--Miscellanea, Unidentified flying objects--Religious aspects, Alien abduction, Human-alien encounters |
| Categories: | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, RELIGION / Comparative Religion |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The Lure of the Edge : Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: UFO phenomena entered American consciousness at the beginning of the Cold War, when reports from astonished witnesses of encounters with unknown aerial objects captured the attention of the United States military and the imagination of the press and the public. But when UFOs appeared not to be hostile, and when some scientists pronounced the sightings to be of natural meteorological phenomena misidentified due to'Cold War jitters,'military interest declined sharply and, with it, further overt scientific interest. Yet sighting reports didn't stop and UFOs entered the public imagination as a cultural myth of the twentieth century. Brenda Denzler's comprehensive, clearly written, and compelling narrative provides the first sustained overview and valuation of the UFO/alien abduction movement as a social phenomenon positioned between scientific and religious perspectives. Demonstrating the unique place ufology occupies in the twentieth-century nexus between science and religion, Denzler surveys the sociological contours of its community, assesses its persistent attempt to achieve scientific legitimacy, and concludes with an examination of the movement's metaphysical or spiritual outlook. Her book is a substantial contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the boundaries of American religion and to the debate about the nature of science and religion.Denzler presents a thorough and fascinating history of the UFO/abduction movement and traces the tensions between those who are deeply ambivalent about abduction narratives that seemingly erode their quest for scientific credibility, and the growing cultural power of those who claim to have been abducted. She locates the phenomenon within the context of American religious history and, using data gathered in surveys, sheds new light on the social profile of these UFO communities. The Lure of the Edge succeeds brilliantly in repositioning a cultural phenomenon considered by many to be bizarre and marginal into a central debate about the nature of science, technology, and the production of a modern myth. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brenda+Denzler%22">Brenda Denzler</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Religion+and+science--Miscellanea%22">Religion and science--Miscellanea</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Unidentified+flying+objects--Religious+aspects%22">Unidentified flying objects--Religious aspects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Alien+abduction%22">Alien abduction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human-alien+encounters%22">Human-alien encounters</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22SOCIAL+SCIENCE+%2F+Popular+Culture%22">SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22RELIGION+%2F+Comparative+Religion%22">RELIGION / Comparative Religion</searchLink> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 001.942 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Religion and science--Miscellanea Type: general – SubjectFull: Unidentified flying objects--Religious aspects Type: general – SubjectFull: Alien abduction Type: general – SubjectFull: Human-alien encounters Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The Lure of the Edge : Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Brenda Denzler – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Brenda Denzler IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2001 – D: 04 M: 02 Type: profile Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780520224322 – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780520239050 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780520930278 Titles: – TitleFull: The Lure of the Edge : Scientific Passions, Religious Beliefs, and the Pursuit of UFOs Type: main |
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