ANTHROP 2R03 Lecture Notes - Spirit Possession, Michel Leiris, Glossolalia
13 Apr 2014
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African and middle eastern name for spirit possession. Zar = african and middle eastern name for a type of spirit possession, the subject of several classic studies in the anthropology of belief and ritual (list of studies in slide: michel leiris o. Ecastatic religion: a study of shamanism and spirit possession: diagnosed symptoms of spirit possession, follows stylistic conventions, most societies have what is called a central cult , the most important religious system in this community, central cult: Dominated by the extant powers in society, whatever they may be (entrepreneurs and factory owners in industrialized societies; landowners in agricultural societies; senior males in hunter-gatherer societies) Simply put, the central cult everywhere tends to reflect, validate and perpetuate the values of the more powerful and well-placed withing society. Its style is sober, serious and honorific: central cults in their very action, claiming central ground, marginalizes some members of society.
