Introducing Possession
The Mind Possessed October 1, 2007 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0001
Summary
Possession is introduced through a healing ceremony, and the book's central questions are framed around this phenomenon. The ethnographic focus is a terreiro, an Afro-Brazilian cult house in Belém, northern Brazil. The author briefly outlines dominant academic approaches to possession and explains their own explanatory perspective. A chapter-by-chapter summary of the book follows.
Study at a glance
| Design | ethnography |
|---|---|
| Population | members of an Afro-Brazilian cult house (terreiro) in Belém, northern Brazil |
| Key finding | The book examines possession through ethnographic study of an Afro-Brazilian terreiro, addressing key questions about the phenomenon. |
Abstract
AbstractThe reader is introduced to possession, and many of the key “why” questions that the book addresses, through the description of a possession healing ceremony and to the principal ethnographic focus of the book—a terreiro, or Afro‐Brazilian cult house in the city of Belém, northern Brazil. Brief introductions to dominant approaches to possession within academic scholarship and to the explanatory approach adopted by the author are given. This is followed by a chapter‐by‐chapter summary of the book.