“An entirely original and carefully crafted exploration of ecstatic embodiment in Appalachian Pentecostalism. Richly nuanced, this remarkable study places Pragmatist philosophy in direct relationship to experimental performance with stunning results. Mullis has created an essential offering for anyone interested in dance, ethnography, philosophy, theology, or the promise of pluralism as a method for engaging interdisciplinary inquiry.”

—Thomas F. DeFrantz, Professor of Dance, Theater Studies, Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Computational Media, Arts & Cultures at Duke University and author of Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture (Oxford University Press, 2006) and, with Philipa Rothfield, editor of Choreography and Corporeality: Relay in Motion (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).


“This is a fantastically original study of ecstatic Pentecostal spiritualism wrapping Pragmatist philosophy, dance and choreographic theory, dramaturgical considerations and autobiography compellingly into a set of narratives that make a strong case for attending to the borderless friction between trance, possession and folk culture in American Appalachia. A timely book that makes important new inroads in interdisciplinary performance research.”

—Kélina Gotman, Reader in Theatre and Performance Studies at King’s College London and Hölderlin Guest Professor in Comparative Dramaturgy at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and author of Choreomania: Dance and Disorder (Oxford University Press, 2018).


“In Pragmatist Philosophy and Dance: Dance Research in the American South, Eric Mullis intertwines practical, dramaturgical, and ethnographic investigations to develop an in-depth theoretical account of the evolution of knowledge in the artistic process. This book advances an interdisciplinary approach to an individual artistic journey into ecstatic embodiment and thereby develops a thorough analysis of the relationship between aesthetics and epistemology. This impressive work contributes to the study of knowledge reenactment and to the interdisciplinary endeavor of Performance Philosophy.”

—Einav Katan-Schmid, Core Convener for the international network Performance Philosophy and author of Embodied Philosophy in Dance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).