Rhythm and Repercussions of Difference: On Bodies at Rituals of Spirit Possession in Morocco
Institutional Repositories DataBase March 1, 2022 匠 山口
Spirit possession challenges the modern view of a person as a unified mind and body. Anthropologists and other researchers have proposed various theories, such as possession being a cultural expression of mental illness, a form of resistance by marginalized groups, or a performance of social drama. Examining a spirit possession ritual in Morocco, this paper avoids a reductive approach that assigns a single social function or psychological effect. Instead, it focuses on the bodily reactions of attendees, arguing that the variety in their responses, including trance, reflects a shift in how the ritual and its music are appreciated in society. In Morocco, possession is caused by jinn, invisible beings.