The Dynamic Cosmos: Movement, Paradox, and Experimentation in the Anthropology of Spirit Possession

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This edited volume applies the analytic notions of paradox and play to the ethnographic manifestation of spirits, angels, and demons in different locations around the world. The 10 case studies conceptualize the co-presence of humans and entities with terms that do not exclude spiritual reasoning on the one hand, and social explanations on the other. Through in-depth descriptions of localized possession cosmologies, the different chapters collectively propose path-breaking methodological directions in this field, which incorporate ethnographic theories of simultaneity into anthropological theories of religion, kinship, and ritual. Framed by an introduction written by the editors and an afterword by Michael Lambek, a leading authority in possessions studies, the volume contains cutting edge analyses that will provide readers with new tools to evaluate previously unstudied aspects of spirit possession; all of which stem from the fantastic forms of human movement that accompany the phenomenality of paradoxes in mundane reality.

Reviews

Sparkling with insights into spirit possession, The Dynamic Cosmos proposes play and performance as touchstones for understanding cosmological alterity. Simultaneity, co-production, and the richness of paradox take center stage as the authors collectively script a new language for one of our species most vexing practices. A singular offering from the most original voices writing on spirit possession today, this volume overflows with ideas nested in unforgettable scenes of communal transformation. * Todd Ramn Ochoa, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA and author of Society of the Dead (2010) and A Party for Lazarus (2020) *
The Dynamic Cosmos is a must-read volume bringing together an excellent collection of ethnographies from different social and cultural contexts. Proposing a completely new, fascinating, and groundbreaking way to understand spirit possession, this work challenges scholars to rethink and reconsider the limits of anthropological representations and classifications. The idea of inviting authors to analyze spirit possession based on concepts such as play, simultaneity, and paradox proves to be absolutely brilliant. * Diana Riboli, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology and President of the International Society for Academic Research on Shamanism (ISARS), Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece *

Author Bio

Diana Espirito Santo is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Pontificia Universidad Catlica de Chile, Chile. Matan Shapiro is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Digital Humanities at Kings College London, UK.