The Dynamic Cosmos
Movement, Paradox, and Experimentation in the Anthropology of Spirit Possession
Published on 28. December 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-350-29936-8 (ISBN)
Description
This edited volume applies the analytic notions of paradox and play to the ethnographic manifestation of spirits, angels, and demons in different locations around the world. The 10 case studies conceptualize the co-presence of humans and entities with terms that do not exclude spiritual reasoning on the one hand, and social explanations on the other. Through in-depth descriptions of localized possession cosmologies, the different chapters collectively propose path-breaking methodological directions in this field, which incorporate ethnographic theories of simultaneity into anthropological theories of religion, kinship, and ritual.
Framed by an introduction written by the editors and an afterword by Michael Lambek, a leading authority in possessions studies, the volume contains cutting edge analyses that will provide readers with new tools to evaluate previously unstudied aspects of spirit possession; all of which stem from the fantastic forms of human movement that accompany the phenomenality of paradoxes in mundane reality.
Framed by an introduction written by the editors and an afterword by Michael Lambek, a leading authority in possessions studies, the volume contains cutting edge analyses that will provide readers with new tools to evaluate previously unstudied aspects of spirit possession; all of which stem from the fantastic forms of human movement that accompany the phenomenality of paradoxes in mundane reality.
Reviews / Votes
Sparkling with insights into spirit possession, The Dynamic Cosmos proposes play and performance as touchstones for understanding cosmological alterity. Simultaneity, co-production, and the richness of paradox take center stage as the authors collectively script a new language for one of our species' most vexing practices. A singular offering from the most original voices writing on spirit possession today, this volume overflows with ideas nested in unforgettable scenes of communal transformation. * Todd Ramon Ochoa, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA and author of Society of the Dead (2010) and A Party for Lazarus (2020) * The Dynamic Cosmos is a must-read volume bringing together an excellent collection of ethnographies from different social and cultural contexts. Proposing a completely new, fascinating, and groundbreaking way to understand spirit possession, this work challenges scholars to rethink and reconsider the limits of anthropological representations and classifications. The idea of inviting authors to analyze spirit possession based on concepts such as 'play,' 'simultaneity,' and 'paradox' proves to be absolutely brilliant. * Diana Riboli, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology and President of the International Society for Academic Research on Shamanism (ISARS), Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
368 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-29936-8 (9781350299368)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Diana Espirito Santo | Matan Shapiro
The Dynamic Cosmos
Movement, Paradox, and Experimentation in the Anthropology of Spirit Possession
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€32.99
Available for download
Diana Espirito Santo | Matan Shapiro
The Dynamic Cosmos
Movement, Paradox, and Experimentation in the Anthropology of Spirit Possession
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€32.99
Available for download
Persons
Diana Espirito Santo is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile.
Matan Shapiro is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Digital Humanities at King's College London, UK.
Matan Shapiro is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Digital Humanities at King's College London, UK.
Content
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
INTRODUCTION. Possession & paradox. Matan Shapiro & Diana Espirito Santo
1. Angels and demons: notes on kinship and exorcism at an Ethiopian orthodox shrine. Diego Malara, University of Glasgow
2. Spirit possessions, racial dispossessions: the second diaspora of race in Afro-Cuban religious experience. Anastasios Panagiotopoulos, University of Lisbon
3. Between possessor and possessed. J. Brent Crosson, University of Texas, Austin
4. Waiting for the deities: spirit possession in the middle voice. Miho Ishii, Kyoto University
5. The motion-power of the collective, or, how spirits "come into view" in Cuba. Diana Espirito Santo, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Chile
6. (En)spirited pedagogy: learning and simultaneity in Pentecostalism. Bruno Reinhardt, Federal University of Santa Catarina
7. A theory of passage: paradox and neo-Pentecostal expulsion of demons in Brazil. Matan Shapiro, University of Stavanger
8. The threshold of the cosmos: priestly scriptures and shamanic wilderness in Southwest China. Katherine Swancutt, King's College London
9. The Mormon dead. Jon Bialecki, University of Edinburgh
10. On the existence of witches, or, how anthropology works. Marcio Goldman, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
AFTERWORD. Michael Lambek, University of Toronto
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
INTRODUCTION. Possession & paradox. Matan Shapiro & Diana Espirito Santo
1. Angels and demons: notes on kinship and exorcism at an Ethiopian orthodox shrine. Diego Malara, University of Glasgow
2. Spirit possessions, racial dispossessions: the second diaspora of race in Afro-Cuban religious experience. Anastasios Panagiotopoulos, University of Lisbon
3. Between possessor and possessed. J. Brent Crosson, University of Texas, Austin
4. Waiting for the deities: spirit possession in the middle voice. Miho Ishii, Kyoto University
5. The motion-power of the collective, or, how spirits "come into view" in Cuba. Diana Espirito Santo, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Chile
6. (En)spirited pedagogy: learning and simultaneity in Pentecostalism. Bruno Reinhardt, Federal University of Santa Catarina
7. A theory of passage: paradox and neo-Pentecostal expulsion of demons in Brazil. Matan Shapiro, University of Stavanger
8. The threshold of the cosmos: priestly scriptures and shamanic wilderness in Southwest China. Katherine Swancutt, King's College London
9. The Mormon dead. Jon Bialecki, University of Edinburgh
10. On the existence of witches, or, how anthropology works. Marcio Goldman, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
AFTERWORD. Michael Lambek, University of Toronto
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX