Drawing on ethnographic research focusing on a group of women in Nampula city, northern Mozambique, this article interrogates the role of spirit performances in their conversion to Islam. By embarking on mimetic practices of Muslim healers (walimu) during established ceremonies, a group of women, coming from the mainland regions and of traditional backgrounds, claim to become ‘Muslims of the...
ABSTRACT How can male experiences of spirit possession contribute to feminist-influenced anthropology, which has focused mostly on the subordination of women and/or their resistance to male power? I engage with this question by examining the story of Alfio, a male Makhuwa spirit healer living in the city of Nampula in northern Mozambique, who both draws upon and negotiates with female power...