Description
Book SynopsisThis book describes and interprets trance behaviour among the Malagasy speakers of Mayotte. The author argues that trance can best be understood as a social activity rather than as a psychological problem or a means of manipulating others. This book should be of particular interest to those concerned with the study of ritual, symbols and non-Western religious systems.
Table of ContentsList of tables and figures; Preface: cultural zero; Acknowledgements; Stylistic conventions; Introduction; Part I. Spirits and Hosts in Mayotte: 1. An overview of Mayotte society; 2. Who the spirits are not: possession and Islam; 3. The nature of spirits: first approximations; 4. The incidence of trance; 5. Possession as a system of communication; Part II. The Syntagmatic Dimension: 6. Negotiation and energence: the case of Habiba; 7. Medicine and transformation: the case of Habiba continued; 8. The hidden name: the case of Rukia; 9. Of affines and annunciations; Part III. The Paradigmatic Dimension: 10. The trumba spirits; 11. The world of possession; 12. The spirits as children; Conclusion; Appendix: Additional classes of possession spirits in Mayotte; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
