Describing, Interpreting, and Explaining Spirit Possession
The Mind Possessed October 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that scientific theories of spirit possession require both rich ethnographic description and faithful representation of cultural meaning. |
Abstract
Abstract Chapters 4 and 5 introduce more comprehensively the scientific approach to be adopted, incorporating a review of past and present approaches to possession cults and spirit phenomena. The first of these chapters looks at ethnographic description and anthropological interpretation of spirit possession phenomena, considering the roles of both rich description and faithful representation of cultural meaning for the generation of scientific theories.
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Spirit Possession Revisited: Beyond Instrumentality Annual Review of Anthropology October 1, 1994
- Trance and Possession States The Primitive Mind and Modern Man December 30, 2010
- The Voice of the Winds Versus the Masters of Cure: Contested Notions of Spirit Possession Among the Lauje of Sulawesi Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute September 1, 1996
- blood, oil, honey, and water: symbolism in spirit possession sects in northeastern Brazil American Ethnologist November 1, 1995
- Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations: pathological phenomena? The British Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1996