Trance and Possession: Ritual Madness and Choreographed Alteration
Performance studies & cultural discourse in South Asia January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-2448-5_6 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis chapter examines how trance, possession, and madness are performed and understood in classical and ritual performance traditions of Keralam, including Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Teyyam, and Guruti at Chottanikkara. In classical forms, performers achieve trance through disciplined training and cultivation of body-memory, allowing them to merge with a character while maintaining control, which distinguishes this state from possession. The analysis explores how altered states of consciousness are codified within specific cultural frameworks.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Trance Possession linguistics Art Psychology Anthropology |
| Key finding | Argues that in classical performance traditions of Keralam, trance is achieved through disciplined training and body-memory, enabling performers to merge with a character while maintaining control, distinguishing it from possession. |
Abstract
AbstractThis chapter examines the relationship between trance, possession, and madness in both classical and ritual performance traditions of Keralam. Through detailed analysis of Kathakali, Kutiyattam, and ritual practices such as Teyyam and Guruti at Chottanikkara, it explores how altered states of consciousness are performed, understood, and codified within specific cultural frameworks. In classical forms, trance is achieved through disciplined training and the cultivation of body-memory, enabling the performer to temporarily merge with the character while maintaining control—distinguishing it from possession.