Abstract The paper sets out the study of mediumship and other forms of non-ordinary experiences within a “glocal” conceptual frame that highlights the need to build universalising concepts from local contexts. Based on anthropological research about mediumship in religious and Spiritist communities in São Paulo, the paper argues that while mediumship is regarded as a set of global skills, local...
Abstract This article illustrates the complexity of non-ordinary experiences during the pandemic, highlighting accounts of three different types of experiences: encounters with divine bliss, anger, and evil. The focus is on four narrative accounts of non-ordinary experiences that were submitted by email in response to a wider research project about religious, spiritual, and otherwise...
Abstract Drawing on fieldwork in different religious communities in Brazil, this chapter explores spirit possession as cultural practice, with a particular focus on candomblé, one of the most celebrated African-derived religions in Brazil. The chapter includes an interview with one member about his difficult journey into this religion and his experience with the divine. Drawing on comments from...