The Brahmo Samaj’s nineteenth-century séances and spiritualism debates

Record summary

Members and associates of the Brahmo Samaj encountered European spiritualism, séances, automatic writing, and mediumistic claims during the nineteenth century. Period discussions explored whether communication with spirits could support or undermine monotheistic reform, rational religion, and claims of revelation. This lead is useful for comparing imported séance practices with South Asian devotional and reformist frameworks. The relevant evidence is scattered across Bengali and English journals, memoirs, and institutional histories, and not every reported gathering had the same participants or evidentiary status.