SPIN is delighted to co-host the book launch for SPIN-ster Brian Rappert’s new book, Performing Deception, as part of our events series with the South West Doctoral Training Partnership.  

About the Event    

Prof Brian Rappert  

Discussants: Clare Birchall, Susan Maret, Todd Landman

Chair: Dr Elspeth Van Veeren  

Join us and our fascinating panellists for an evening to discuss the book and its themes, including a Q & A session. The event will be held online, through Zoom. All welcome. Sign up available through Eventbrite page.   

About the Book    

In Performing Deception, Brian Rappert reconstructs the practice of entertainment magic by analysing it through the lens of secrecy, deception and learning, as he goes about studying conjuring himself. Through this novel meditation on reasoning and skill, Rappert elevates magic from the undertaking of mere trickery to an art that offers the basis for rethinking our possibilities for acting in the modern world. Performing Deception covers a wide range of theories in sociology, philosophy, psychology and elsewhere in order to offer a striking assessment of the way secrecy and deception are woven into social interactions, as well as the illusionary and paradoxical status of expertise.  

Buy the book or get the PDF for free.