essay

Embodied spirits: Palestinians and the experience of possession

feminist (re)visions of the subject : landscapes, ethnoscapes, and theoryscapesLanham, Md. • Published In 2001 • Pages: 145-157

By: Rothenberg, Celia.

Abstract
In this article, Rothenberg interprets spirit possession of two West Bank villagers in context of the Israeli occupation. She first discusses JINN spirits and possession in general and then recounts and interprets two specific cases. In the first case, a young woman sent to Jordan to marry a cousin, gives birth to her first child and is possessed by a Jewish JINN who wants the mother to kill the child. Rothenberg interprets the possession as an idiom for an unhappy marriage and Israeli domination. In the second case, a political prisoner meets his JINN, a Jewish woman who wants to marry him, but instead becomes his friend. The author interprets this tale in terms of empowerment and identity.
Subjects
External relations
Spirits and gods
Revelation and divination
culture
Palestinians
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Middle East
Sub Region
Middle East
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 2004
Field Date
1995-1996
Coverage Date
1967-1995
Coverage Place
Artus, West Bank, Occupied Territories, Israel
Notes
Celia Rothenberg
Includes bibliographical references (p. 157)
LCCN
00066337
LCSH
Palestinian Arabs