Human Spirits: A Cultural Account of Trance in Mayotte (Cambridge Studies in Cultural Systems) [Hardcover]

Michael Lambek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521238447 | ISBN-13: 978-0521238441 | Publication Date: November 30, 1981 | Edition: 1

Based on intensive ethnographic fieldwork, this book describes and interprets trance behaviour among the Malagasy speakers of Mayotte, a small island in the Comoro Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. Professor Lambek describes how the people of Mayotte (most often women) enter into trances, during which they believe their bodies are inhabited by spirits. He then analyses the conventions for behaviour in trance and the process by which the individuals come to terms with the spirits in their midst. The book presents thorough case studies of spirit possession over time, providing one of the most detailed accounts of possession phenomena available for a single society. The author argues that trance can best be understood as a social activity within a defined system of cultural meaning rather than as a psychological problem, a simple deception 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.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This 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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (November 30, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521238447
• ISBN-13: 978-0521238441
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,612,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First rate and thought-provoking ethnography, June 30, 2005

By 

Jack D. Eller "Anthropologist, Author, and Ra... (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Human Spirits: A Cultural Account of Trance in Mayotte (Cambridge Studies in Cultural Systems) (Paperback)

I picked up this book because I was using Lambek's reader on religion in my anthropology of religion course, and because I was preparing my own text on the subject. It is a little overlooked in the field, but it contains some valuable information and makes some provocative points.
The most interesting thing about this case is that the Mayotte conception of spirits so totally contradicts the conventional understanding of them. That is, their spirits are not particularly "spiritual"! They think of spirits as a "race" or another kind of being, not entirely different from humans. People who are thinking seriously about spirits and spiritual matters, especially about the cultural relativity of spirits and spirituality, need to take a serious look at this society.

Also, his discussion of spirit possession is interesting and worth consideration. The next time I teach the course, I will mention this book to the students, and I have included references to it in my own anthropology of religion manuscript.

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic anthropology book., February 11, 2011

By 

Lipa - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Human Spirits: A Cultural Account of Trance in Mayotte (Cambridge Studies in Cultural Systems) (Paperback)

It is an excellent book for whoever is interested in cultural anthoropology or to those who are opened up to learn about the possession by human spirits as a text of communication. It is a study case, it is not just entertainment. It is a serious approach about other people' cultural system and it shows the way Mayotte people organize their life in society by means of possession.