From hostage to host: the spirit possession, mediumship, and gender relations in Chitral, Pakistan
Journal of Humanities Social and Management Sciences June 30, 2023 Zafar Ahmad, Noor Sanauddin, Habib Ullah Nawab 4 citations
In Chitral, Pakistan, some women become spirit mediums (Pari Khan) through a process that begins with illnesses locally interpreted as spirit possession. Patriarchal culture and oppressive norms frustrate women to the point of such illnesses. Treatment involves either exorcism or domestication of the spirit; in domestication, the possessed woman learns to live with and host the spirit, gaining social status and attention for her alleged healing powers. The authors argue that while spirit possession and mediumship offer relative empowerment, they divert attention from women's underlying social and psychological deprivation.