Human Spirits: A Cultural Account of Trance in Mayotte - A Cultural Account of Trance in Mayotte

Klappentext This book describes and interprets trance behaviour among the Malagasy speakers of Mayotte. Zusammenfassung This book describes and interprets trance behaviour among the Malagasy speakers of Mayotte. The author argues that trance can best be understood as a social activity rather than as a psychological problem or a means of manipulating others. This book should be of particular interest to those concerned with the study of ritual! symbols and non-Western religious systems. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of tables and figures; Preface: cultural zero; Acknowledgements; Stylistic conventions; Introduction; Part I. Spirits and Hosts in Mayotte: 1. An overview of Mayotte society; 2. Who the spirits are not: possession and Islam; 3. The nature of spirits: first approximations; 4. The incidence of trance; 5. Possession as a system of communication; Part II. The Syntagmatic Dimension: 6. Negotiation and energence: the case of Habiba; 7. Medicine and transformation: the case of Habiba continued; 8. The hidden name: the case of Rukia; 9. Of affines and annunciations; Part III. The Paradigmatic Dimension: 10. The trumba spirits; 11. The world of possession; 12. The spirits as children; Conclusion; Appendix: Additional classes of possession spirits in Mayotte; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Product details

• Authors: Michael Lambek
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.11.1981
• EAN: 9780521282550
• ISBN: 978-0-521-28255-0
• No. of pages: 240
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Cultural
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories