Bodies, Boundaries and Spirit Possession
Globaler lokaler Islam October 27, 2000 DOI: 10.14361/9783839400463 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Traditional women seers and their female clients in Morocco |
| Key findings | Argues that traditional women seers in Morocco have adapted their spirit possession practices to commercialization and professionalization, increasingly serving as therapists to help women resolve conflicts stemming from social change. |
Abstract
The social structures of Moroccan society have been changing in accordance with western models at an ever-growing rate. The role of Islam in sharing the burden of these changes and in narrowing the ever-expanding gap between modernity and tradition is exemplified by the folk-Islamic spirit possession practices presented in this study. By adjusting their vocation to ongoing processes of commercialization and professionalization and to the changing needs and expectations of their female clientele, traditional women seers have increasingly taken on the therapeutic task of helping women to resolve the growing number of inner and interpersonal conflicts in their daily lives.