The Haitian Zombi and Clairvius Narcisse Case

Record summary

Clairvius Narcisse was reported to have died in Haiti in 1962 and to have reappeared nearly two decades later, becoming a prominent modern case in discussions of Haitian zombification. Anthropologist Wade Davis later connected zombi narratives to powders and social processes, while subsequent researchers questioned identification, evidence, and pharmacological explanations. It matters for comparison because the case links ritual belief, colonial stereotypes, medical anthropology, and media construction. The identity record, toxicology, and precise chronology remain uncertain rather than proving a supernatural transformation.