Soil, self, resistance: late-modernity and locative spirit possession in Kerala
La possession en Asie du Sud January 1, 1999 Yasushi Uchiyamada 3 citations
In late-modern Kerala, spirit affliction and possession reveal how formerly separate social groups have become mixed. The traditional bond between person, descent group (kuṭumpam), and ancestral soil—expressed in mortuary rituals—conflicts with modern state-defined land relations. New wealthy families have moved into village border areas once exclusively inhabited by Untouchables, places believed haunted by ghosts and malevolent deities. A case history describes an Īḻava moneylender's wife possessed by Untouchable ancestors. These possession cases serve as a window into how multiple boundary processes now shape personhood, self, and territory.