Felicitas D. Goodman

About the Author

Felicitas D. Goodman was a pioneering scholar in the fields of linguistics, anthropology, and religious studies, renowned for her interdisciplinary approach to exploring the intersections of language, culture, and the supernatural. Born in Hungary and later emigrating to the United States, she earned advanced degrees in Romance linguistics before turning her attention to the psychological and ethnographic dimensions of religious ecstasy and possession. Goodman's fieldwork among indigenous communities and her analyses of glossolalia and shamanic practices challenged conventional Western understandings of altered states of consciousness. Her seminal work, 'How About Demons?: Possession and Exorcism in the Modern World (Folklore Today),' delves into contemporary cases of demonic possession and exorcism, blending folklore, psychology, and theology to argue for a more nuanced view of these phenomena in today's globalized society. Throughout her career, Goodman authored numerous articles and books that continue to influence scholars and practitioners alike, emphasizing the cultural relativity of spiritual experiences.