Spirit Possession and Healing among the Zar of Ethiopia

Record summary

Research on zar possession in Ethiopia during the target period examined spirit affliction, ritual specialists, music, bodily states and therapeutic gatherings. The zar tradition is especially relevant to altered-states comparison because possession may be both a culturally recognized diagnosis and a negotiated form of care. Sources differ in whether they emphasize women’s social worlds, Islamic contexts, psychiatric interpretation or performance. This is a research cluster rather than one single case, so verification should identify the author, field site, publication and named ritual community.