Hearing Their Hidden Voices: Zar as Embodied Negotiation Among Ethiopian Jewish Women in Israel
Shula Mola
Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion July 28, 2026 DOI: 10.2979/jfs.00084 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Ethiopian Jewish women in Israel |
| Key findings | The author argues that Zar spirit possession among Ethiopian Jewish women in Israel persists as a shifting, contested, embodied practice rather than a remnant of the past. Women's narratives indicate that silence, denial, and reinterpretation are strategies for navigating stigma and aligning with dominant religious norms, while possession enables alternative voice and authority. The author conceptualizes Zar as an embodied practice of negotiation within structures of power, not as pathology or resistance. |
Abstract
Abstract: This article examines Zar spirit possession among Ethiopian Jewish women in Israel, asking how its meanings are reconfigured under conditions of migration, religious regulation, and racialized marginalization. Drawing on qualitative interviews, it shows that Zar persists not as a remnant of the past but as a shifting, contested, and embodied practice. Women’s narratives reveal that silence, denial, and reinterpretation function as strategies for navigating stigma and aligning with dominant religious norms, while possession enables alternative forms of voice and authority within constrained settings. Rather than framing Zar as pathology or resistance, the article conceptualizes it as an embodied practice of negotiation enacted within structures of power. By foregrounding women’s experiences, the study contributes to feminist scholarship on religion by demonstrating how marginalized women negotiate legitimacy, belonging, and voice through culturally embedded practices in contexts of migration and transformation.