Spirit possession and cultural innovation: the case of two Japanese femane religious leaders
Revista de Antropologia July 3, 2020 Ronan Alves Pereira
Religion is often seen as a conservative force, but this article argues it can also be transformative. Examining the lives of two Japanese religious founders, Miki Nakayama (1789-1887) and Nao Deguchi (1836-1918), the author discusses three levels of religious experience: personality reintegration, change in social status, and the transformed person's ability to influence or alter the sociocultural system. The key point is that special states of consciousness, such as possession, dreams, and hallucinations, create the possibility for such change, rather than the change itself being the primary focus.