Possessing spirits and healing selves : embodiment and transformation in an Afro-Brazilian religion / Rebecca Seligman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seligman, Rebecca, author.

Series:

Culture, mind, and society

Culture, mind, and society : the book series of the Society for Psychological Anthropology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Candomblé--Brazil.

Candomblé.

Black people--Brazil--Religion.

Black people.

Ethnobiology.

Healing.

Spiritual healing.

Spirit possession.

Brazil.

Religion.

Spirit possession--Brazil.

Spiritual healing--Brazil.

Healing--Brazil.

Ethnology--Brazil.

Ethnology.

Ethnobiology--Brazil.

Brazil--Religious life and customs.

Physical Description:

xiv, 209 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

"Spirit possession involves the displacement of a human's conscious self by that of a powerful other - a spirit, god, or demon - who temporarily occupies the human's body. To many, spirit possession is quintessentially exotic, a novelty, an example of the ways in which "others" are fundamentally different. In this book, Seligman shows that, far from being exotic and "other," spirit possession mediumship represents a privileged site for understanding a number of fundamental aspects of human experience - especially those involved with interactions among meaning, embodiment, and subjectivity. Using a diverse set of ethnographic, psychological, and biological data gathered during fieldwork among spirit possession mediums of the Candomble; religion in Northeastern Brazil, she explores how everyday and religious practices and meanings shape and interact with the bodily experiences and psychophysiological states of Candomble; mediums, both before and after their initiations, and how such interactions shape their experiences of selfhood"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Stepping Into "This Supernatural World" of Candomble

2. Reflections on the Challenges and Rewards of Integrative Research

3. Sometimes Affliction is the Door: Healing and Transformation in Narratives of Mediumship

4. Looking inside: Biological Mechanisms and Embodiment in Candomble Trance and Possession

5. Healing the Embodied Self in Candomble

6. Conclusion: Stepping Back.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137409591

1137409592

OCLC:

881655910

Online:

Cover image