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Notes on “Possessing Spirits and Healing Selves. Embodiment and Transformation in an Afro-Brazilian Religion”
a book by by Rebecca Selligman This book describes an ethnographic study of the psychophysiology of Candomblé mediumship. Combining ethnography and psychophysiology proved to be hard, and the author describes several obstacles, including the difficulty of maintaining a balance between recruiting a large enough sample for the study to be valid and building a trusting rapport with the participants. The central premise of the book is that the process of self-transformation in Candomblé spirit possession mediumship is a process with the potential to heal both mind and body. This idea is based on the finding that all mediums that the author interviewed for the study had come to become mediums…
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Candomblé – a very short overview
One of the African-derived religions in Brazil together with Umbanda, Xango, Batuque, Cantimbo, and Macumba, is Candomblé. It is most interesting for being a sort of a collection of various African religious traditions, especially those of Yoruba, Fon, and Banto ethnic groups. In addition, it draws on Catholic faith, having integrated its teachings into its own interpretation, for example, the deities of the pantheon (orixás) are associated with Catholic saints. This is a bright example of syncretism – a blending of religions that occurred due to the need of slaves to hide their beliefs under the cover of Catholicism. Brazil, colonized by the Portuguese, was one of the largest importers…