Michele Stephen
Biographic Data
| ID | 5528829 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michele Stephen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michele |
| FAMILY NAME | Stephen |
| SIGNATURE | STEPHEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | La Trobe University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 108 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1979 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Desire, Divine and Demonic: Balinese Mysticism in the Paintings of I Ketut Budiana and I Gusti Nyoman Mirdiana
This original and innovative book challenges many of our long-held assumptions about traditional Balinese religion. Drawing on data from visual art, mythology, esoteric texts, and public rituals, Michele Stephen identifies a core of important mystical themes at the heart of Balinese religion and demonstrates the striking parallels between these and Indian Tantric thought. Desire, Divine and Demonic begins with an introduction to the problems of d…
Sūrya-Sevana: A Balinese Tantric Practice
Traces of Tantric elements in Balinese culture and religion have often been noted by Western scholars, but the prevailing opinion is that such are random and haphazard, rather than systematic. Tantric influences on the role of the pedanda , the Brahmana or high priest, have been occasionally acknowledged, but rarely examined in detail. The daily rituals, surya-sevana , performed by the pedanda siwa , the Śaiva high priest, have been known to West…
The yogic art of dying, Kundalinī yoga, and the Balinese pitra yadnya
This article proposes that the complex public rituals of the Balinese pitra yadnya (sacrifices for the ancestors) can be understood as a localized form of Laya yoga, through which the dead person is instructed and assisted in the yogic art of dying. The arguments are based on recent, detailed ethnographic observations of the pitra yadnya, textual evidence, and comparisons with western studies of Laya and Kundalinī yoga
Returning to original form; A central dynamic in Balinese ritual
Descriptions by western scholars of Balinese religious beliefs and rituals have long been dominated by images of balance, harmony and order. Anthropologist Hildred Geertz (1995) has recently challenged these well established stereotypes, suggesting that concerns with spiritual or magical powers, and transformations of such powers, are more relevant for making sense of the puzzling and dazzling variety of Balinese religious life than are concepts …
Reparation and the Gift
This article argues that Melanie Klein's theories of primary indebtedness to the mother and the need for reparation can extend Freudian insights concerning the anal significance of gifts, thus providing an answer to Mauss's original question: "What force is there in the thing given which compels the recipient to make a return?" Kleinian theory can also account for the fact that gifts wound, that the donors triumph, that gifts may be made only to …
Shamanism, Psychosis and Autonomous Imagination
Witchcraft, Grief, and the Ambivalence of Emotions
In this article, I argue that Melanie Klein's psychoanalytic theory of mourning can shed new light on an old anthropological topic: witchcraft and sorcery. Beginning with sociocentric analyses of sorcery and witchcraft, and linking these beliefs to the experiential context of grief and bereavement, I focus on two ethnographic case studies-Balinese witchcraft and Mekeo sorcery. I use Klein's theory of mourning to extend Freud's concept of the ambi…
A Response to Mosko's Comments on “The Man of Sorrow”
Devouring the Mother: A Kleinian Perspective on Necrophagia and Corpse Abuse in Mortuary Ritual
This article argues that the ethnography of corpse abuse and mortuary cannibalism takes on new significance in the context of a Kleinian psychoanalytic paradigm. Kleinian theory suggests that such practices are not merely culturally approved outlets for aggression but explicable in terms of the mourning process itself which involves a complex interaction between unconscious guilt and the need to make reparation. From this perspective, one can und…
Cargo Cults, Cultural Creativity, and Autonomous Imagination
This article draws attention to the ways in which Western psychiatric models of psychopathology applied to the so-called "Cargo cults" of Melanesia have served to endorse colonial and cultural discourses of power. It argues that while the ethnographic evidence indicates the positive and creative potential of such movements, Western assumptions concerning irrationality and the unconscious mind obscure this potential. The concept of autonomous imag…
A'aisa's Gifts: A Study of Magic and the Self
Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mekeo esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and self-conceptualizations recasts accepted notions about magic and selfhood. Drawing on accounts by Mekeo ritual experts and laypersons, this is the first book…
The Sacred Self: A Cultural Phenomenology of Charismatic Healing
Dreams and Self-Knowledge among the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea
"The Mekeo "man of sorrow: Sorcery and the Individuation of the Self
The pervasiveness of sorcery and witchcraft beliefs in Melanesia is well documented. Recent discussions of Melanesian concepts of person and self, emphasizing their "divisibility" and lack of boundedness, help to explain why Melanesians feel so vulnerable to intrusions and invasions by other, more powerful selves. This article explores the process whereby a man assumes the role of sorcerer, or "man of sorrow," in Mekeo society. In describing how …
The Religious Imagination in New Guinea
Explores various expressions of religious fervour such as shamanism, trances, possession, witchcraft and cult activity. Using cultural anthropology and psychoanalysis as a base, the contributors ask how religious imagination connects concepts of the self to ideas of the sacred
‘Dreaming is Another Power!’: The Social Significance of Dreams among the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea1
Dreams of Change: The Innovative Role of Altered States of Consciousness in Traditional Melanesian Religion1
An honourable man: Mekeo views of the village constable
Papua New Guinea tend to dismiss the government appointed village officials?the village constable in Papua, the luluai in New Guinea?as the passive mouthpieces of a rigidly paternalistic regime which jealously denied even a modicum of responsibility to its charges.1 Anthropologists have displayed more interest, particularly in the effect of the new role on in digenous leadership structures, but even so there is little agreement on its significanc…
A'aisa's Gifts: A Study of Magic and the Self
Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mekeo esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and self-conceptualizations recasts accepted notions about magic and selfhood. Drawing on accounts by Mekeo ritual experts and laypersons, this is the first book…
"The Mekeo "man of sorrow: Sorcery and the Individuation of the Self
The pervasiveness of sorcery and witchcraft beliefs in Melanesia is well documented. Recent discussions of Melanesian concepts of person and self, emphasizing their "divisibility" and lack of boundedness, help to explain why Melanesians feel so vulnerable to intrusions and invasions by other, more powerful selves. This article explores the process whereby a man assumes the role of sorcerer, or "man of sorrow," in Mekeo society. In describing how …
Witchcraft, Grief, and the Ambivalence of Emotions
In this article, I argue that Melanie Klein's psychoanalytic theory of mourning can shed new light on an old anthropological topic: witchcraft and sorcery. Beginning with sociocentric analyses of sorcery and witchcraft, and linking these beliefs to the experiential context of grief and bereavement, I focus on two ethnographic case studies-Balinese witchcraft and Mekeo sorcery. I use Klein's theory of mourning to extend Freud's concept of the ambi…
Shamanism, Psychosis and Autonomous Imagination
Cargo Cults, Cultural Creativity, and Autonomous Imagination
This article draws attention to the ways in which Western psychiatric models of psychopathology applied to the so-called "Cargo cults" of Melanesia have served to endorse colonial and cultural discourses of power. It argues that while the ethnographic evidence indicates the positive and creative potential of such movements, Western assumptions concerning irrationality and the unconscious mind obscure this potential. The concept of autonomous imag…
The Religious Imagination in New Guinea
Explores various expressions of religious fervour such as shamanism, trances, possession, witchcraft and cult activity. Using cultural anthropology and psychoanalysis as a base, the contributors ask how religious imagination connects concepts of the self to ideas of the sacred
The yogic art of dying, Kundalinī yoga, and the Balinese pitra yadnya
This article proposes that the complex public rituals of the Balinese pitra yadnya (sacrifices for the ancestors) can be understood as a localized form of Laya yoga, through which the dead person is instructed and assisted in the yogic art of dying. The arguments are based on recent, detailed ethnographic observations of the pitra yadnya, textual evidence, and comparisons with western studies of Laya and Kundalinī yoga
Returning to original form; A central dynamic in Balinese ritual
Descriptions by western scholars of Balinese religious beliefs and rituals have long been dominated by images of balance, harmony and order. Anthropologist Hildred Geertz (1995) has recently challenged these well established stereotypes, suggesting that concerns with spiritual or magical powers, and transformations of such powers, are more relevant for making sense of the puzzling and dazzling variety of Balinese religious life than are concepts …
Devouring the Mother: A Kleinian Perspective on Necrophagia and Corpse Abuse in Mortuary Ritual
This article argues that the ethnography of corpse abuse and mortuary cannibalism takes on new significance in the context of a Kleinian psychoanalytic paradigm. Kleinian theory suggests that such practices are not merely culturally approved outlets for aggression but explicable in terms of the mourning process itself which involves a complex interaction between unconscious guilt and the need to make reparation. From this perspective, one can und…
A Response to Mosko's Comments on “The Man of Sorrow”
Dreams and Self-Knowledge among the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea
Desire, Divine and Demonic: Balinese Mysticism in the Paintings of I Ketut Budiana and I Gusti Nyoman Mirdiana
This original and innovative book challenges many of our long-held assumptions about traditional Balinese religion. Drawing on data from visual art, mythology, esoteric texts, and public rituals, Michele Stephen identifies a core of important mystical themes at the heart of Balinese religion and demonstrates the striking parallels between these and Indian Tantric thought. Desire, Divine and Demonic begins with an introduction to the problems of d…
Reparation and the Gift
This article argues that Melanie Klein's theories of primary indebtedness to the mother and the need for reparation can extend Freudian insights concerning the anal significance of gifts, thus providing an answer to Mauss's original question: "What force is there in the thing given which compels the recipient to make a return?" Kleinian theory can also account for the fact that gifts wound, that the donors triumph, that gifts may be made only to …
Sūrya-Sevana: A Balinese Tantric Practice
Traces of Tantric elements in Balinese culture and religion have often been noted by Western scholars, but the prevailing opinion is that such are random and haphazard, rather than systematic. Tantric influences on the role of the pedanda , the Brahmana or high priest, have been occasionally acknowledged, but rarely examined in detail. The daily rituals, surya-sevana , performed by the pedanda siwa , the Śaiva high priest, have been known to West…
An honourable man: Mekeo views of the village constable
Papua New Guinea tend to dismiss the government appointed village officials?the village constable in Papua, the luluai in New Guinea?as the passive mouthpieces of a rigidly paternalistic regime which jealously denied even a modicum of responsibility to its charges.1 Anthropologists have displayed more interest, particularly in the effect of the new role on in digenous leadership structures, but even so there is little agreement on its significanc…
Dreams of Change: The Innovative Role of Altered States of Consciousness in Traditional Melanesian Religion1
An honourable man: Mekeo views of the village constable
Papua New Guinea tend to dismiss the government appointed village officials?the village constable in Papua, the luluai in New Guinea?as the passive mouthpieces of a rigidly paternalistic regime which jealously denied even a modicum of responsibility to its charges.1 Anthropologists have displayed more interest, particularly in the effect of the new role on in digenous leadership structures, but even so there is little agreement on its significanc…
‘Dreaming is Another Power!’: The Social Significance of Dreams among the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea1
The Religious Imagination in New Guinea
Explores various expressions of religious fervour such as shamanism, trances, possession, witchcraft and cult activity. Using cultural anthropology and psychoanalysis as a base, the contributors ask how religious imagination connects concepts of the self to ideas of the sacred
A'aisa's Gifts: A Study of Magic and the Self
Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mekeo esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and self-conceptualizations recasts accepted notions about magic and selfhood. Drawing on accounts by Mekeo ritual experts and laypersons, this is the first book…
The Sacred Self: A Cultural Phenomenology of Charismatic Healing
Dreams and Self-Knowledge among the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea
"The Mekeo "man of sorrow: Sorcery and the Individuation of the Self
The pervasiveness of sorcery and witchcraft beliefs in Melanesia is well documented. Recent discussions of Melanesian concepts of person and self, emphasizing their "divisibility" and lack of boundedness, help to explain why Melanesians feel so vulnerable to intrusions and invasions by other, more powerful selves. This article explores the process whereby a man assumes the role of sorcerer, or "man of sorrow," in Mekeo society. In describing how …
Cargo Cults, Cultural Creativity, and Autonomous Imagination
This article draws attention to the ways in which Western psychiatric models of psychopathology applied to the so-called "Cargo cults" of Melanesia have served to endorse colonial and cultural discourses of power. It argues that while the ethnographic evidence indicates the positive and creative potential of such movements, Western assumptions concerning irrationality and the unconscious mind obscure this potential. The concept of autonomous imag…
A Response to Mosko's Comments on “The Man of Sorrow”
Devouring the Mother: A Kleinian Perspective on Necrophagia and Corpse Abuse in Mortuary Ritual
This article argues that the ethnography of corpse abuse and mortuary cannibalism takes on new significance in the context of a Kleinian psychoanalytic paradigm. Kleinian theory suggests that such practices are not merely culturally approved outlets for aggression but explicable in terms of the mourning process itself which involves a complex interaction between unconscious guilt and the need to make reparation. From this perspective, one can und…
Witchcraft, Grief, and the Ambivalence of Emotions
In this article, I argue that Melanie Klein's psychoanalytic theory of mourning can shed new light on an old anthropological topic: witchcraft and sorcery. Beginning with sociocentric analyses of sorcery and witchcraft, and linking these beliefs to the experiential context of grief and bereavement, I focus on two ethnographic case studies-Balinese witchcraft and Mekeo sorcery. I use Klein's theory of mourning to extend Freud's concept of the ambi…
Reparation and the Gift
This article argues that Melanie Klein's theories of primary indebtedness to the mother and the need for reparation can extend Freudian insights concerning the anal significance of gifts, thus providing an answer to Mauss's original question: "What force is there in the thing given which compels the recipient to make a return?" Kleinian theory can also account for the fact that gifts wound, that the donors triumph, that gifts may be made only to …
Shamanism, Psychosis and Autonomous Imagination
Returning to original form; A central dynamic in Balinese ritual
Descriptions by western scholars of Balinese religious beliefs and rituals have long been dominated by images of balance, harmony and order. Anthropologist Hildred Geertz (1995) has recently challenged these well established stereotypes, suggesting that concerns with spiritual or magical powers, and transformations of such powers, are more relevant for making sense of the puzzling and dazzling variety of Balinese religious life than are concepts …
The yogic art of dying, Kundalinī yoga, and the Balinese pitra yadnya
This article proposes that the complex public rituals of the Balinese pitra yadnya (sacrifices for the ancestors) can be understood as a localized form of Laya yoga, through which the dead person is instructed and assisted in the yogic art of dying. The arguments are based on recent, detailed ethnographic observations of the pitra yadnya, textual evidence, and comparisons with western studies of Laya and Kundalinī yoga
Sūrya-Sevana: A Balinese Tantric Practice
Traces of Tantric elements in Balinese culture and religion have often been noted by Western scholars, but the prevailing opinion is that such are random and haphazard, rather than systematic. Tantric influences on the role of the pedanda , the Brahmana or high priest, have been occasionally acknowledged, but rarely examined in detail. The daily rituals, surya-sevana , performed by the pedanda siwa , the Śaiva high priest, have been known to West…
Desire, Divine and Demonic: Balinese Mysticism in the Paintings of I Ketut Budiana and I Gusti Nyoman Mirdiana
This original and innovative book challenges many of our long-held assumptions about traditional Balinese religion. Drawing on data from visual art, mythology, esoteric texts, and public rituals, Michele Stephen identifies a core of important mystical themes at the heart of Balinese religion and demonstrates the striking parallels between these and Indian Tantric thought. Desire, Divine and Demonic begins with an introduction to the problems of d…
Sociology (15 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Art (10 works) · Anthropology (9 works) · History (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Anthropological Studies and Insights (8 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (8 works) · Aesthetics (7 works) · Epistemology (7 works)