rival empires: Islam and the religions of spirit possession among the Òyóo‐Yorùbá
American Ethnologist August 1, 1994 DOI: 10.1525/ae.1994.21.3.02a00030 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 60 |
| Key points | Argues that gendered possession religions such as Òyóo-Yorùbá worship of Sàngó and Yem⊙ja need not serve only women's or deprived groups' interests, but may dramatize a rival construction of collective life for both weak and strong, and that such religions and Islam constitute each other by adopting each other's signs and criteria of power. |
Abstract
Possession religions have frequently been treated as women's means to redress their subordination. Like many other religions so discussed, the Òyóo‐Yorùbá worship of Sàngó and Yem⊙ja endures in a predominantly Muslim region. The following discussion will illustrate that such religions, though highly gendered in their symbolism and personnel, need not redress the interests of women or of the deprived alone. For the weak and the strong, they may dramatize a rival construction of collective life. In order to grasp how they do so, we must understand (1) the history of Islam and such possession religions in the particular context and, therefore, (2) the way they constitute each other in that context. As they serve and structure material rivalries in the world, they take on each others' signs and criteria of power. The gendered religious pluralism of the Òyóo‐Yorùbá illustrates a gestalt common across “the Muslim world” and bears implications for the study of possession religions practiced in conjunction with other “world religions” as well. [women's religion, gender, spirit possession, African Islam, religious conflict, symbolism, syncretism]