Spirit possession, power, and the absent presence of Islam
Re-viewing Les maîtres fous
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2266758 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Henley (0000-0002-4694-2787, University of Manchester, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 731-761 |
| Publication date | 2006-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1359-0987 • E-ISSN: 1467-9655 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2006.00361.x |
| OpenAlex | W2040034136 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 14 |
In the history of ethnographic documentary, the late Jean Rouch's film Les maîtres fous is widely regarded as initiating a new phase in the development of the genre. It concerns the hauka spirit-possession cult of Songhay-Zerma migrants from the middle Niger river who had come to work in Accra, then the capital of the British colony of the Gold Coast, West Africa. When released in 1955, the film was both banned by the colonial authorities and simultaneously denounced by African intellectuals and leading French anthropologists. Since then it has gone through a progressive rehabilitation and today, some fifty years on, it is hailed in many sources as a remarkable counter-hegemonic representation of European colonialism in Africa. This article proposes a re-interpretation of Les maîtres fous, arguing that in order to defend the film against criticism, its counter-hegemonic features have been over-emphasized, thereby obscuring its continuity with other forms of Songhay-Zerma religious belief and practice. The article concludes with some brief reflections on the place of film in anthropology
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Criticism · Cult · Ethnography · Ethnology · Hegemony · Interpretation (philosophy · Islam · Literature · Political science · Politics · Possession (linguistics · Power (physics · Representation (politics · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law · Philosophy
Blood, kin, and shared mediumship in xinguilamento ritual practice (Luanda, Angola)
Being There’
Mimesis and Colonialism
Retour aux sources ? Nouvelles formes de ritualisation et d'expertise rituelle en Afrique et ailleurs
The failed image and the possessed
Can Film Show the Invisible
Imaging/Imagining Craftwork
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |