Enchanting Gods and Dolphins

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Uncanny Encounters

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2263644
AutoresArnaud Halloy (0009-0004-1515-4667), Véronique Servais (0000-0002-9006-685X, Institut des Sciences Humaines et Sociales)
Año2014
Volumen42
Número4
Páginas479-504
Fecha de publicación2014-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEthos (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0091-2131 • E-ISSN: 1548-1352
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/etho.12065
OpenAlexW1867956145
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas17
Referencias citadas27

The main thrust of our research is to provide a cross-cultural definition of enchantment. Drawing on first-hand accounts of spirit possession in an Afro-Brazilian cult and on Dolphin encounters at sea, we compare the two settings to identify the common features in both people's experiences and the technologies of enchantment that make them possible. According to our findings, the main features of the experience of enchantment are: ontological uncertainty as to the entities involved and the experience itself; uncanny feelings; an attentional focus on inner bodily and mental states; dissociative and hypnoid states; and a shift in perceived agency. We define the technology of enchantment as an "in-between space of practice" (Belin ), neither totally material, nor totally subjective, which enables the merging of unusual bodily states with imagination and culturally prepared expectations. Such merging is possible only if the individual is immersed in a sensorily organized environment (sensescape), made up of distributed perceptual saliences, and if a relation based on trust and benevolence is achieved

Cult · Possession (linguistics · Uncanny · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Cultural Differences and Values · Social Representations and Identity