Sorcery, Revenge, and Anti-Revenge
F. Tola
Social Analysis June 1, 2019 DOI: 10.3167/sa.2019.630205 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | The Qom people of Argentina |
| Key findings | Argues that among the Qom, death is attributed to sorcery or shamanic attack and may prompt revenge carried out through practices on the deceased's body, yet relatives sometimes choose 'anti-revenge'. The author contends that the alternation between relational excess and fissures makes individuation possible, and that the relation between revenge and anti-revenge is key to a Qom understanding of personhood in which individuation must be achieved to avoid indifferentiation. |
Abstract
This article focuses on sorcery, revenge, and anti-revenge among the Qom people in Argentina. For them, death is the result of sorcery or a shamanic attack. When a relative dies, the family may decide to avenge him through practices performed on his body. Nonetheless, under specific circumstances relatives decide not to take revenge, performing what I refer to as ‘anti-revenge’. Ethnographic analysis of relations among victims, aggressors, and avengers reveals how alternation between relational excess and fissures makes individuation possible. The processes responsible for the composite character of personhood lead to a relational excess that needs to be restrained. The relation between revenge and anti-revenge is a key aspect of a Qom understanding of personhood, in which individuation needs to be achieved to avoid indifferentiation.