She had never seen a ghost, although her aunt had talked about seeing her grandfather on his birthday after he died.
Though she was hopeful a ghost would appear, her main purpose was to observe and record how ghost hunters or the paranormal investigators-scientists capture what they take to be credible information about sightings.
She noted what they did throughout the night with their digital recorders and cameras, along with technology to read environmental changes to the room’s temperature—an indication that a spirit was among them.
Hanks spent about two summers (2006 and 2007) and 18 months of long-term fieldwork (2008-2009) making similar observations and gathering core research information for her dissertation, “Between Belief and Science: Paranormal Investigators and the Production of Ghostly Knowledge in Contemporary England.” And she was so inspired by the public’s fascination with visiting haunted places that it became the subject of her new book.
The number of ghost hunter clubs in England prompted Hanks’ curiosity about the topic. She also wondered why so many people believe they have seen ghosts in their homes or places like Golden Fleece.
A 2003 poll by the market research firm Ipsos reported that 38 percent of Britons believed in ghosts. Likewise, a 2009 Pew Research report found that 18 percent of Americans say they have seen or encountered a ghost, and 29 percent report being in touch with the spirit of someone who has died.
Hanks neither believes nor denies the existence of ghosts, but is fascinated by those who are believers.
After waiting hours in the dark in the Golden Fleece and other haunted sites, she has yet to see a real ghost—but she still gets nervous thinking one might appear.
Learn more about Hanks' research when she explores the social anthropology of "ghost tourism" with WCPN's Sound of Applause host Dee Perry at 2 p.m. today.
