SRS 2398 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Spirit Possession, Historical Trauma

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: SRS 2398
• Professor: Theodore Debruyn

Document Summary

11/28/16 & 11/30/16 (16) religion, colonialism, and health: the residential schools. When a religious tradition or institution is co-extensive with a population, it may be imbued with the cultural habits and outlook of that population. For example, mainline and independent churches in south africa that tacitly accept gendered patterns of sexual behaviour. The ability of a religious tradition or institution to alter the behaviour of members in a counter-cultural way may be quite limited, except for intensive and exclusive religious groups. For example, only the pentecostal church in south africa had the qualities that enabled it to alter the sexual behaviour of young adults. Religion is more likely to offer a coping mechanism than a challenge mechanism for people dealing with social difficulties and stress. For example, spirit- possession offers an escape mechanism within the power structure of an egyptian village. Religious coping is not just a personal phenomenon; it is also a social phenomenon.