Kristin C Bloomer
Biographic Data
| ID | 8750790 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kristin C Bloomer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kristin C |
| FAMILY NAME | Bloomer |
| SIGNATURE | BLOOMER K C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Carleton College |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Phantasms, Dreams, and Other Realities
“Religion” and Hindu–Christian relations after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Fluid identities and exchanges between Christians and Hindus have long marked India’s coastal South. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, however, all differences were momentarily leveled as waves indiscriminatingly killed more than 8,000 people in Tamil Nadu alone. A close ethnographic account of the immediate responses of local people and religious leaders in the face of this acute loss and suffering bespoke a shared sense of humanity and even …
Visions, Enlightenment, and Other Revelatory Events
Possessed by the Virgin
This book is an ethnographic account of three Roman Catholic women in contemporary Tamil Nadu, south India, who claim to be possessed by Mary, the mother of Jesus. It follows their lives over more than a decade, describing their own, the researcher’s own, and devotees’ understandings of the women’s healing and possession practices along with questions about agency, gender roles, authenticity, and social power. It asks, how is it that some experie…
Possession, Processions, and Authority
Our Lady Jecintho Prayer House clashes with Roman Catholic authorities, including the Madras-Mylapore archbishop who attempts to ban Mass and ritual processions, as well as general attendance. The prayer house and the local Catholic church offer competing Mary ceremonies and processions for an annual May festival—and both are rich in syncretic rituals derived from local traditions. The Jecintho procession and Mass are described in detail, as are …
Authenticity and Double Trouble
Nancy, a follower of Jecintho from a lower-caste Hindu-Christian family, claims also to be possessed by Mātā and exhibits stigmata. This chapter examines Nancy’s story and her circumstances, as well as the dismissal of her claims by Rosalind and her community at the Our Lady of Jecintho Prayer House. What do Nancy’s and Rosalind’s competing claims mean about authenticity and agency? Caste, gender, and family roles appear to influence Nancy’s poss…
Interlude
This interlude serves as a transition from the busy urban Chennai of the previous chapters to the rural quiet of Mātāpuram, a small village in inland Sivagangai District. It also marks the second part of the book, which follows the 2004 Asian Tsunami, only briefly mentioned. The village is the home of Dhanam, the woman introduced in the first chapter, a Dalit Roman Catholic and illiterate agricultural worker who was first possessed by Mary at the…
Rosalind
This chapter introduces Rosalind, her family, and the Jecintho Prayer House in Chennai. It tells the story of how Alex, her cousin, first came to be healed and possessed by Mary (Mātā). The accounts of possession move to Rosalind, and Mary reveals her true name as Jecintho (Queen of Roses). The family founds a prayer house, and a following grows. The chapter offers an account of members’ narratives. It also describes the author’s first visit to t…
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Possessed by the Virgin
This book is an ethnographic account of three Roman Catholic women in contemporary Tamil Nadu, south India, who claim to be possessed by Mary, the mother of Jesus. It follows their lives over more than a decade, describing their own, the researcher’s own, and devotees’ understandings of the women’s healing and possession practices along with questions about agency, gender roles, authenticity, and social power. It asks, how is it that some experie…
Possession, Processions, and Authority
Our Lady Jecintho Prayer House clashes with Roman Catholic authorities, including the Madras-Mylapore archbishop who attempts to ban Mass and ritual processions, as well as general attendance. The prayer house and the local Catholic church offer competing Mary ceremonies and processions for an annual May festival—and both are rich in syncretic rituals derived from local traditions. The Jecintho procession and Mass are described in detail, as are …
Authenticity and Double Trouble
Nancy, a follower of Jecintho from a lower-caste Hindu-Christian family, claims also to be possessed by Mātā and exhibits stigmata. This chapter examines Nancy’s story and her circumstances, as well as the dismissal of her claims by Rosalind and her community at the Our Lady of Jecintho Prayer House. What do Nancy’s and Rosalind’s competing claims mean about authenticity and agency? Caste, gender, and family roles appear to influence Nancy’s poss…
Interlude
This interlude serves as a transition from the busy urban Chennai of the previous chapters to the rural quiet of Mātāpuram, a small village in inland Sivagangai District. It also marks the second part of the book, which follows the 2004 Asian Tsunami, only briefly mentioned. The village is the home of Dhanam, the woman introduced in the first chapter, a Dalit Roman Catholic and illiterate agricultural worker who was first possessed by Mary at the…
Rosalind
This chapter introduces Rosalind, her family, and the Jecintho Prayer House in Chennai. It tells the story of how Alex, her cousin, first came to be healed and possessed by Mary (Mātā). The accounts of possession move to Rosalind, and Mary reveals her true name as Jecintho (Queen of Roses). The family founds a prayer house, and a following grows. The chapter offers an account of members’ narratives. It also describes the author’s first visit to t…
Visions, Enlightenment, and Other Revelatory Events
“Religion” and Hindu–Christian relations after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Fluid identities and exchanges between Christians and Hindus have long marked India’s coastal South. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, however, all differences were momentarily leveled as waves indiscriminatingly killed more than 8,000 people in Tamil Nadu alone. A close ethnographic account of the immediate responses of local people and religious leaders in the face of this acute loss and suffering bespoke a shared sense of humanity and even …
Phantasms, Dreams, and Other Realities
History (6 works) · Art (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Anthropological Studies and Insights (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Religious studies (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Ancient history (3 works) · Gender Studies (3 works)