Anthropos: Anthropos, 85.1990,4/6

Anthropos, 85.1990,4/6

Bibliographic Data

Journal

Structure Type:: Journal

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

Persistent identifier:: BV043334262

Title:: Anthropos

Place of Publication:: Fribourg

Publisher:: Ed. St. Paul

Year of Publication:: 1906

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Domain:: Social and cultural anthropology > General overview

Journal Volume

Structure Type:: Journal Volume

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711878

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711878

Persistent identifier:: 1513674172240

Title:: Anthropos, 85.1990,4/6

Year of Publication:: 1990

Call Number:: LA 1118

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Issue

Structure Type:: Journal Issue

Title:: Bd. 85, 1990, Heft 4-6

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Anthropos 85.1990: 317-328 Choosing Metaphor A Case Study of Sri Lankan Exorcism Victor C. de Munck Abstract. - An exorcism of a Sri Lankan woman is examined in two parts: (1) a discussion of factors which influence succes sive recourse to different cures leading up to a full scale exor cism and (2) an analysis of the symbolic/dramaturgical structure of the exorcism. The first part shows that treatment choices are based on availability and resource constraints, graduate from simple to complex, that illness is perceived as sociocentered rather than patient centered, that exorcism complements other medical systems, and that exorcism is a treatment of last resort. The second part examines exorcism in terms of contrasting paradigmatic sets of metaphorical statements. [Sri Lanka, ex orcism, treatment choice, metaphor, purity, pollution] Victor C. de Munck, Dr. phil.; Research fellow, Anthropology Dept., Univ. of California, Riverside; visiting Assistant Prof., Dept, of Anthropology, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia. - Publications in Journal of South Asia, Journal of Development Studies, Central Issues in Anthropology, etc. Introduction Fieldwork for this paper was carried out in the Moneragala District of Sri Lanka in the hamlet of Monderavan. It is a case study of one woman’s illness which eventuated in an exorcism. Through an in-depths diachronic analysis the following ar gument will be fleshed out: (1) exorcism should be viewed as one of a series of treatment al ternatives included within a pluralistic medical system rather than outside this system; (2) illness is perceived as a collective, interpersonal concern and therapy decisions are made by the family head; (3) when illness symptoms are non-specific, treatment choices tend to graduate from simple to complex and low to high in terms of expense, distance, and treatment; (4) an exorcism is a so ciocentered rather than patient centered form of therapy (Kapferer 1983: 60; Crapanzano 1977; 33); (5) exorcism functions as a rhetorical/dra maturgical form of treatment that systematically articulates culturally shared values and ontological presuppositions through a metaphoric paradigm of similar and contrasting symbols. This study has two distinct but interdependent foci: (1) a discussion of factors which influence successive recourse to different cures leading to a full-scale exorcism and (2) a descriptive analy sis of the symbolic/dramaturgical structure of the exorcism itself. The conjunction of these foci em phasizes my interest in contextualizing exorcism within a temporal frame proceeding from onset of illness to its cure. This paper is organized as follows: (1) a discussion of previous studies of exorcism; (2) a discussion of metaphor; (3) a descriptive analysis of treatment choices prior to exorcism; (4) an anal ysis of the metaphoric structure of the exorcism. 1. Previous Studies Case studies of exorcism usually involve the ante cedent condition of a patient exhibiting episodes of trance-possession. This implies a one-to-one caus al relationship between trance-possession (symp tom) and exorcism (cure). The consequent theo retical-analytic perspective focuses on the psycho social causes underlying trance-possession and the therapeutic effect of exorcism. Hence, the em phasis on the susceptibility of women to enter trance-possession states as a result of problems arising out of their marginal, subordinate, submis sive, and/or procreative roles in a culture (Lewis 1971: 84 f.; Obeyesekere 1970: 101; 1977: 242 f.; AmaraSingham 1978: 114; Kapferer 1983: 100- 110; Skultans 1987: 675 f.). Trance-possession is typically viewed as a culturally institutionalized means to project repressed or otherwise unattain able desires (Spiro 1967; Obeyesekere 1970, 1977, 1981; Southall 1969; Saunders 1977). From this perspective, exorcism is an indige nous form of psycho-therapy that effects a tempo rary cure through catharsis or a permanent cure if the psycho-social dimensions of the disease are effectively restructured. The exorcism may also transform the patient’s role into a socially accepted one as healer (Obeyesekere 1981; Zempleni 1977)

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