Embodying Colonial Memories: Spirit Possession, Power, and the Hauka In West Africa
Murray Last
American Ethnologist February 1, 1998 DOI: 10.1525/ae.1998.25.1.81 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Songhay people in West Africa |
| Key findings | Argues that Hauka spirit possession embodies colonial memories, allowing Songhay people to critique and negotiate colonial power through performance, and that possession is a central cultural practice for enacting historical memory and social relations. |
Abstract
Embodying Colonial Memories: Spirit Possession, Power, and the Hauka In West Africa. Paul Stoller. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. xii. 226 pp., photographs, notes, references, index.