Spirit possession of what? Oracular exchange in Afro-Cuban religiosity

• In Event: What spirit possession “does”: the production of cosmology and change in Afro-Latin religions I

Abstract

Spirit possession phenomena, in their visceral intensity, attract vivid interest due to both the radical phenomenological transformation of the state of the possessed and the alleged 'external forces' that are meant to be possessing the person. In an effort to eschew over-psychologizing focuses on the 'assaulted' bounded self, classical anthropological renderings turn their gaze to these latter 'external forces', most notably seen as metaphors for the societal and cultural forces that pre-exist and encompass (possess!) the individual. Spirit possession in Cuba is very present, especially through the various practices of Afro-Cuban religiosity. By inserting it to this broader context I describe how spirit possession is part of a wider phenomenon, that of divination. The former acquires performative intensity and social significance exactly because it is a way to produce oracular knowledge, perspectives, perception and channel accordingly further actions. Rather than focusing on the state of the possessed person or the 'external forces' and their nature, I compare spirit possession with other forms of divination and venture a line of argument that views spirit possession as one among many ways to possess oracular perspectives. Thus, in trying to answer what do spirits possess, I answer that it is exactly this, oracular 'vision'.

Author

• Anastasios Panagiotopoulos