RELS 3714 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Emic And Etic, Sensory Deprivation, Witch Doctor

• School: University of Iowa
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELS 3714
• Professor: Schnell Scott

Document Summary

Means of inducing altered states of consciousness (asc): Focal type->confined to particular region: when they originate in limbic region there is an emotional response. Like ge(cid:374)erati(cid:374)g a path(cid:449)a(cid:455), (cid:862)(cid:271)lazi(cid:374)g a trail(cid:863: makes entering the condition easy to achieve, people can enter state of trance or ecstasy at will. Asc involves psychological and biological processes but also derives from cultural expectations. In many places the propensity for seizures (asc) would be encouraged. Ex: the hmong (the spirit catches you and you fall down) (cid:862)auditor(cid:455) dri(cid:448)i(cid:374)g(cid:863) driving toward asc. 2 types: voluntary-offering to be the mouthpiece for the spirit. Note: involuntary explanations=told from etic point of view. According to lewis, those who are attacked (and those who try and cure them) tend to represent the lower down or poorer in stratified society. Also women (especially in patrilineal lineage systems) The (cid:448)i(cid:272)ti(cid:373) uses the (cid:862)possessio(cid:374)(cid:863) as a (cid:449)a(cid:455) to (cid:373)ake their grie(cid:448)a(cid:374)(cid:272)es heard. Possession more frequent in women than in men.