The Boxer movement and spirit-possession rituals

Record summary

The Boxers, or Yihequan, were village-based martial and religious networks that expanded in northern China around 1898–1900. Initiation rites, invulnerability practices, spirit possession, martial training, and anti-Christian action appear in contemporary Chinese and foreign accounts, although the movement was heterogeneous and changed during its political alliance with Qing authorities. This is a key comparison point for embodied ritual, charismatic possession, colonial violence, and state accommodation. Claims that rituals literally produced invulnerability should be treated as historical beliefs and battlefield narratives, not verified effects.