Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements

Introduction
Outline of the Argument and Remarks on Method

Chapter I: Near-death experiences as Religious Discourse

Chapter II: The Different Strands of Death: Western Discourse on Experiences Near Death (1580-1975)

Chapter III: "Near-death experiences" as Religious Protest against Materialism and Modern Medicine in the 1960s and 1970s

Chapter IV: Wish Fulfilling Expectations, Experiences, Retroactive Imputations - In Search of Hermeneutics for Near-death Experiences"

Bibliography

About the Author

Jens Schlieter (Ph.D. University of Bonn, Germany) is Professor of the Systematic Study of Religion and Co-Director of the Institute for the Science of Religion, University of Bern, Switzerland. His publications comprise contributions on methodological and theoretical questions of the study of religion, on Buddhist bioethics, and comparative philosophy.

Reviews

"the book is of interest to everyone dealing with the intellectual history of modern Europe, particularly the great importance of various strands of religious and philosophical traditions that shape our current understanding of life and death. In addition, the book is also very interesting in terms of the theoretical approach that is meticulously developed regarding the specific topic and the many questions that arise in this context." -- Franz Winter,
Religious Studies Review
"...this work represents a step forward in the study of near-death reports. Schlieter has grasped the importance of researching the "genealogy" of these narratives, rather than naively receiving them without any context, either within a culture or the reporter's life, let alone accepting the accounts without any critical or even analytic engagement. The word "indispensable" is overused, but in my opinion, for those interested in the field of near-death
narratives, this volume is indeed indispensable." -- Joseph Azize, Numen
"Filling an almost unbelievable gap in the existing literature by interpreting and historicizing a concept everyone is familiar withDLnear-death experiencesDLJens Schlieter's book is an insightful academic study that will surely touch some on a more personal level." --Julie Chajes, author of Recycled Lives: Madame Blavatsky and Reincarnation
"Finally a study of near-death reports that breaks with the predictable clichés of the popular genre. Schlieter shows that even intimate personal experiences cannot be understood unless they are placed in a solid historical framework. Many readers may be surprised to discover how strongly esoteric and occultist traditions have come to determine common ideasDLperhaps even their own ideasDLabout what it's like to be dead." - Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Professor
of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, University of Amsterdam
"Jens Schlieter has made a fascinating and indispensable contribution to the study of 'near-death experience' in historical perspective; especially eye-opening is the meticulous attention he gives to early modern examples from a wide range of literary, philosophical, religious, and occultist movements."--Carol Zaleski, author of Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times
"Recommended" -- CHOICE