Ideas of Possession Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Perspectives

The idea that an external force can enter an individual and possess their body is prevalent in most cultures across the globe and throughout history. This possession can last for varying lengths of time, and its effects can be considered positive--when a "spirit" provides the individual with powers, abilities, knowledge, or authority--or negative--when the individual suffers and the "spirit" should ideally be cast out, usually through a ritual performed by someone with a designated role.

The study of possession remains marginal in most academic disciplines, but current public discourses indicate that the topic remains relevant across modern and postmodern societies. A globalized world has brought about an unprecedented situation in which decidedly different ideas about possession influence one another, and people attribute a wide variety of experiences and behaviors to spiritual possession. There are those who describe themselves as possessed, sometimes as an inherent element of their identities, and those who are labelled as possessed by others, though this label often comes with a stigma.

Ideas of Possession brings together scholars of various disciplines to consolidate an ongoing academic discussion on how possession is understood within different cultural contexts. Essays present ideas of possession from Antiquity, Biblical Studies, Religious Studies, History, Ethnology, Anthropology, and Psychology, demonstrating how each field's approach to this subject can benefit from interdisciplinary dialogue as we attempt to make sense of such a broad range of interpretations.

Introduction: An Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Approach to the Study of Possession, Nicole M. Bauer & J. Andrew Doole1. Ideas of Possession in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia: A Comparative View, Ulrike Steinert & Jonny Russell2. Names of Authority in the Demonologies of Ancient Judaism and Christianity, Michael J Morris3. My Body Made Me Do It: Non-invasive Possession in Early Christianity, Tom de Bruin4. "As If by Love Possessed": Spirits and Possession in the Acts of Thomas, Giovanni B. Bazzana5. The Life Cycle of Dybbuk Possession in Judaism: Origins, Attenuation, Afterlife, Yoram Bilu6. Demonic Possession and the Proof of True Faith: Habsburgs, Lutherans and the Devil in Austria, Carlos Watzka7. The Psychologization of Exorcism: Diagnosing Demonic Possession in the Roman Catholic Church in Austria, Nicole M. Bauer8. That Old Feeling: Entangling Traditional Symptoms and Experiences of Possession through Catholic Exorcism in Contemporary Italy, Andrea De Antoni9. Possession and Exorcism in Roman Catholic Charismatic Groups: A Comparative Ethnographic Study in France and Argentina, Verónica Giménez Béliveau10. "It makes me complete": Anthropological Insights into Spirit Possession as Cultural Practice in Brazil, Bettina E. Schmidt11. Possession and the Modern Soul in Bali and India, Annette Hornbacher & William Sax12. Trance and Spirit-Possession: Reflections on the Daivaradhane Tradition of Tu?unadu, India, Svetlana Ryzhakova13. Exorcizing Devilsdorp: Demonization and Satanic Possession in South Africa, Gerhard van den Heever14. Demonic Possession and Curative Exorcism in Contemporary Jordan, Assia Harwazinski15. "All evil spirits must be brushed off": Possession and Liberation in the Unification Movement, Lukas K. Pokorny and Dominic S. Zoehrer16. Possession and Exorcism in Kofuku no Kagaku, Lukas K. Pokorny and Patricia Sophie Mayer17. Colonial and Postcolonial Spirits: States of Possession and Culture History in Polynesia and Micronesia, Jeannette Mageo18. Dealing with Possession in Contemporary Germany: Interpretations from Parapsychology, Christian Churches, Shamanic Counselling, and Religion-Sensitive Psychotherapy, Michael Utsch19. Trance, Dreams and Possession: A Comparative Psychoanalytic Study, Marsha Aileen Hewitt20. Possession and the Soul in the Context of New Shamanism, Julia Rehn21. Demons in the Country, Demons in the City: Conspiratorial Thinking in the Context of Possession, Michael Sersch22. The Case for a Universal, Symptom-Based Definition of Possession, Matt Goldish23. Concluding Remarks, Nicole M. Bauer & J. Andrew Doole