PSYCHICAL RESEARCH IN THE POSTMODERN WORLD

''Postmodernism'' is a term often applied to cultural developments tha t react against the perceived excesses of ''modernism,'' such as scien tific dogmatism and spiritual demoralization. When ''psychical researc h'' became ''parapsychology,'' it adopted the strategies of modernism, although many of its spokespeople display commonalities with such pos tmodern trends as the tolerance of diversity in worldviews, the acknow ledgment of the social construction of reality, and its emphasis on th e complexities of human consciousness. According to postmodern theoris ts, the dismissal of parapsychological data by mainstream science is m ore a matter of power than of knowledge, hence it would be prudent for parapsychologists to forge alliances with organizations and movements that share an awareness of the dominant paradigm's shortcomings and i nequities.