Spirit Possession and Trance New Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Spirit possession is a phenomenon that often elicits a response of fear, particular in those who are ignorant of its meaning and role within its particular religious and cultural traditions. Possession by divine beings (such as spirits or gods) is, however, a key practice in religions worldwide. It is therefore important to gain an understanding of this practice in its cultural context before trying to develop a wider theory about it. This fascinating book contains several case studies that present new interpretations of spirit possession worldwide. The authors show the diversity of possible interpretations and methodological approaches that provide a new insight into the understanding of possession and trance.

Introduction: Problems of Understanding Possession and Trance Lucy Huskinson and Bettina E. Schmidt (Bangor University, UK) 1. Animism Rather than Shamanism: New Approaches to What Shamans Do (for Other Animists), Graham Harvey (The Open University, UK) 2. Possession and Self-Possession: Towards an Integrated Mind-Body Perspective, Geoffrey Samuel (Cardiff University, UK) 3. Spirit Possession, Seduction, and Collective Consciousness, Louise Child (Cardiff University, UK) 4. Analytical Psychology and Spirit Possession. Towards a Non-Pathological Diagnosis of Spirit Possession, Lucy Huskinson (Bangor University, UK) 5. Possessed Women in the African Diaspora: Gender Difference in Spirit Possession Rituals, Bettina E. Schmidt (Bangor University, UK) 6. Somali Saar in the Era of Social and Religious Change, Marja Tiilikainen (University of Helsinki, Finland) 7. Taking Possession of Santo Daime: The Growth of Umbanda within a Brazilian New Religion, Andrew Dawson (Lancaster University, UK) 8. Spirit Attacks in Northern Namibia: Interpreting a New Phenomenon in an African Lutheran Context Kim Groop (Abo Akademi, Finland) 9. Divine Possession and Divination in the Graeco-Roman World: The Evidence from Iamblichus' On the Mysteries, Crystal Addey (Bristol University, UK) 10. Waking the Entranced: Reassessing Spiritualist Mediumship Through a Comparison of Spiritualist and Shamanic Spirit Possession Practices, David Gordon Wilson (University of Edinburgh, UK) 11. To Perform Possession and To Be Possessed in Performance: The Actor, the Medium and an ‘Other', Sarah Goldingay (Exeter University, UK) 12. On the Transformation of the Spirit-Possession Film: Towards Rouch as ‘Emergent Method', Saër Maty Bâ (University of St Andrews, UK) BibliographyIndex