The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:

Feminist theory and postcolonial theory share an interest in developing theoretical frameworks for describing and evaluating subjectivity comparatively, especially with regard to non-autonomous models of agency. As a historian of religions, Mary Keller uses the figure of the "possessed woman" to analyze a subject that is spoken-through rather than speaking and whose will is the will of the ancestor, deity or spirit that wields her to engage the question of agency in a culturally and historically comparative study that recognizes the prominent role possessed women play in their respective traditions.

Drawing from the fields of anthropology and comparative psychology, Keller brings the figure of the possessed woman into the heart of contemporary argument as an exemplary model that challenges many Western and feminist assumptions regarding agency. Proposing a new theoretical framework that re-orients scholarship, Keller argues that the subject who is wielded or played, the hammer or the flute, exercises a paradoxical authority―"instrumental agency"―born of their radical receptivity: their power derives from the communities' assessment that they no longer exist as autonomous agents.

For Keller, the possessed woman is at once "hammer" and "flute," paradoxically powerful because she has become an instrument of the overpowering will of an ancestor, deity, or spirit. Keller applies the concept of instrumental agency to case studies, providing a new interpretation of each. She begins with contemporary possessions in Malaysia, where women in manufacturing plants were seized by spirits seeking to resacralize the territory. She next looks to wartime Zimbabwe, where female spirit mediums, the Nehanda mhondoro, declared the ancestors' will to fight against colonialism. Finally she provides an imaginative rereading of the performative power of possession by interpreting two plays, Euripides' Bacchae and S. Y. Ansky's The Dybbuk, which feature possessed women as central characters. This book can serve as an excellent introduction to postcolonial and feminist theory for graduate students, while grounding its theory in the analysis of regionally and historically specific moments of time that will be of interest to specialists. It also provides an argument for the evaluation of religious lives and their struggles for meaning and power in the contemporary landscape of critical theory.

The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession by Mary Keller

From reader reviews:

Gerald Stewart:

The guide untitled The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession is the reserve that recommended to you to read. You can see the quality of the reserve content that will be shown to an individual. The language that article author use to explained their ideas are easily to understand. The writer was did a lot of investigation when write the book, hence the information that they share for your requirements is absolutely accurate. You also could get the e-book of The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession from the publisher to make you much more enjoy free time.

Elaine Davenport:

Playing with family inside a park, coming to see the sea world or hanging out with friends is thing that usually you might have done when you have spare time, in that case why you don't try issue that really opposite from that. A single activity that make you not sense tired but still relaxing, trilling like on roller coaster you are ride on and with addition associated with. Even you love The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession, you can enjoy both. It is great combination right, you still desire to miss it? What kind of hangout type is it? Oh can occur its mind hangout folks. What? Still don't get it, oh come on its referred to as reading friends.

Kristi Jones:

Would you one of the book lovers? If yes, do you ever feeling doubt when you are in the book store? Aim to pick one book that you find out the inside because don't determine book by its cover may doesn't work here is difficult job because you are scared that the inside maybe not as fantastic as in the outside appearance likes. Maybe you answer might be The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession why because the wonderful cover that make you consider in regards to the content will not disappoint an individual. The inside or content is actually fantastic as the outside or perhaps cover. Your reading sixth sense will directly show you to pick up this book.

Linda Justice:

The book untitled The Hammer and the Flute: Women, Power, and Spirit Possession contain a lot of information on that. The writer explains her idea with easy method. The language is very easy to understand all the people, so do certainly not worry, you can easy to read the item. The book was authored by famous author. The author gives you in the new period of time of literary works. You can easily read this book because you can read more your smart phone, or program, so you can read the book inside anywhere and anytime. In a situation you wish to purchase the e-book, you can start their official web-site as well as order it. Have a nice study.