Sensory Dimensions of Spirit Possession

Spirit possession is a dramatic religious experience where humans encounter the supernatural or deities, and smell, sound, and vision are essential ingredients in recipes for possession. The chapter argues that including sensorial descriptions of performances enriches anthropological understanding and the existential dimensions of the human condition. It draws on functionalism, psychoanalysis, physiology, symbolism, and theatrical frameworks to explain key concepts of spirit possession.

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Abstract

This chapter examines how smell, sound, and vision become integral ingredients in recipes of and for spirit possession. Spirit possession underscores the drama of life in the world due to its embodied symbolism highlighting existential relations such as earth and sky or men and women. According to Roger Bastide, spirit possession is a dramatic religious experience during which human beings come face to face with the supernatural or deities. The chapter explains that the artful inclusion of the sensorial description of any performance enriches the anthropological record and the existential parameters of the human condition. It considers the notions of functionalism, psychoanalysis, physiological, symbolism, and theatrical framework to elaborate on the key concepts of spirit possession.