Loading…
Zar: Group distress and healing
This paper describes Zar, a spiritual cosmology and ritual performance whose meaning is associated with the experience of spirit possession. Commentators on spirit possession such as Zar have provided evidence that it may serve three interrelated functions. It is compatible with religious mythology...
Saved in:
Published in: | Mental health, religion & culture religion & culture, 2001-05, Vol.4 (1), p.47-61 |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | This paper describes Zar, a spiritual cosmology and ritual performance whose meaning is associated with the experience of spirit possession. Commentators on spirit possession such as Zar have provided evidence that it may serve three interrelated functions. It is compatible with religious mythology and cosmology; it may represent a mechanism of psychological manipulation of oppressed individuals and it can be a form of culturally defined group therapy. In this paper, we report the phenomenon of Zar possession in Oman and attempt to relate it to these three interrelated functions. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1367-4676 1469-9737 |
DOI: | 10.1080/13674670124303 |