Strong, Thomas
(2017)
Becoming Witches: Sight, Sin, and
Social
Change in
the Eastern Highlands of
Papua
New Guinea.
In:
Pentecostalism and Witchcraft. Contemporary Anthropology of Religion.
Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 67-92.
ISBN 978-3-319-56067-0
Abstract
In the Papua New Guinea highlands, kumo witches see inside persons (their victims) but conceal themselves from sight. Evangelical and Pentecostal sermons often focus on these dynamics of in/visibility: they may, for example, linger on ways in which Christian piety is evinced as a shine on the body that deflects the covetous and hungry gaze of witches. Members of these congregations are said to be covered by the blood of Christ, and only those who attend church will enjoy the protection that Christ’s grace affords. If witches exhibit supernatural powers of sight, they themselves are hard to see. The invisibility of witches makes possible a supernatural realm existing in parallel to everyday life, on its other “side,” endangering vitality and growth of people, and putting relationships at risk. Sermons elicit fears of this “curse” of witches, and offer a solution: the Pentecostal Christian congregation alone will redeem the community.
Item Type: |
Book Section
|
Keywords: |
Becoming Witches; Sight; Sin; Social Change; Eastern Highlands; Papua New Guinea; Pentecostalism; Witchcraft; |
Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Anthropology |
Item ID: |
10034 |
Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56068-7_3 |
Depositing User: |
Dr. Thomas Strong
|
Date Deposited: |
01 Oct 2018 15:45 |
Publisher: |
Palgrave Macmillan |
Refereed: |
Yes |
URI: |
|
Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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