Flowers vs. Devils: plants used against witchcraft in the urbanized Sonora Market, Mexico City / Flores vs Demonios: plantas usadas contra la brujería en el urbanizado Mercado de Sonora, Ciudad de México

Mexican markets embody cultural diversity and offer a wide range of products, serving as hubs for local exchange.In our study at Mexico City's Sonora Market, the country's prominent medicinal market, we explored the use of plant remedies against witchcraft in an urban environment. Through interviews with plant vendors and extensive data collection, we identified 21 plant species from 16 botanical families renowned for their effectiveness in combating sorcery, attracting good luck, and promoting success. Additionally, we documented 14 ailments associated with envy and negative emotions. These remedies involved practices and applications such as cleansings, decoctions, baths, and incense burning, aimed at alleviating afflictions and fostering positive outcomes. Notably, the Sonora Market continues to uphold the tradition of using plant remedies against witchcraft, even in the bustling setting of one of the world's largest cities. This highlights the enduring significance of these practices within Mexican society

Los mercados mexicanos encarnan diversidad cultural y ofrecen numerosos productos, sirviendo como centros de intercambio local. En nuestro estudio en el Mercado de Sonora en la Ciudad de México, el sitio de plantas medicinales más relevante del país, exploramos el uso de plantas contra la brujería en un entorno urbano. A través de entrevistas con locatarios, identificamos 21 especies de plantas pertenecientes a 16 familias botánicas usadas en la lucha contra la brujería, atrayendo buena suerte y promoviendo el éxito. Además, documentamos 14 enfermedades asociadas con la envidia y emociones negativas. Los remedios involucraban prácticas y aplicaciones como limpias, decocciones, baños, incienso, con el objetivo de aliviar dolencias y fomentar resultados positivos. En el Mercado deSonora persiste la tradición de utilizar plantas contra la brujería, incluso en el marco de una de las mayores ciudades del mundo, resaltando la importancia de estas prácticas dentro de la sociedad mexicana.

Caça às bruxas e a formação do pensamento moderno no Ocidente: uma outra história da ciência / Witch-hunting and the formation of modern thought in the West: another history of science

A caça às bruxas foi o primeiro genocídio de proporções intercontinentais da era moderna e coincidiu com marcos históricos cruciais para a constituição da modernidade no Ocidente, como a Revolução Científica e a colonização das Américas. As mulheres condenadas como bruxas eram, em sua maioria, parteiras, benzedeiras e curandeiras não profissionais, que davam suporte às populações camponesas e às classes baixas. A perseguição e o extermínio destas mulheres representou também a marginalização de dimensões epistêmicas que propunham uma dimensão mágica, baseada em cosmologias originárias e numa concepção animista do mundo e, portanto, na convivência integrada entre os seres humanos e a natureza, constituindo também um epistemicídio. Isso aconteceu à medida que a Revolução Científica avançava e a medicina se institucionalizava, e se constituía como uma profissão nova, regulamentada e masculina. Esta pesquisa dedica-se a investigar as marcas deixadas por este fenômeno e sua importância na formação de um sistema de saber-poder, a fim de descobrir "se" e "como" seus efeitos se perpetuam na atualidade. Partimos da hipótese, defendida por diversos autores, de que o genocídio não se limitou à Europa, mas foi exportado para outros territórios com as invasões de terras ameríndias -- juntamente com os conceitos de gênero e raça --, ganhando novos contornos e retroalimentando a perseguição europeia. A interconexão entre os interesses e a atuação do Estado e da Igreja, nos permitiu detectar um projeto extenso e complexo de expansão e dominação política, econômica e cultural, que, em última instância, usava da religião como ferramenta de imposição ideológica e da violência, em suas diversas formas, como mecanismo de dominação social. De uma perspectiva foucaultiana, entendemos a caça às bruxas também como um fenômeno "fundado na" e "fundante da" diferença de gênero e do dimorfismo sexual, enquanto ficção biológica, e nos dedicamos a tentar mapear até que ponto ele pode ter contribuído para a instauração de outros marcadores da diferença a partir da biologia e da ciência, como é o caso da raça. Identificamos que o desencantamento do mundo e a biologização da alteridade, fundados no genocídio e no epistemicídio foram fundamentais à exploração humana e natural (divisão que não endossamos), que marcou de maneira crescente os últimos séculos, permitindo o desenvolvimento do capitalismo industrial e tecnológico, e inaugurando o processo que nos trouxe à emergência climática e humana sem precedentes com que hoje nos defrontamos.

The witch-hunting was the first genocide of intercontinental proportions in the modern era and coincided with crucial historical milestones for the constitution of modernity in the West, such as the Scientific Revolution and the colonization of the Americas. Most of the women condemned as witches were non-professional midwives, healers, and herbalists who supported peasant populations and the lower classes. The persecution and extermination of these women also represented the marginalization of epistemological dimensions that proposed a magical dimension, based on original cosmologies and an animistic conception of the world. Therefore, it was rooted in the integrated coexistence between human beings and nature, constituting an epistemicide. This occurred as the Scientific Revolution progressed, and medicine became institutionalized and established as a new, regulated, and male-dominated profession. This research is dedicated to investigating the impact left by this phenomenon and its importance in the formation of a knowledge-power system, aiming to discover if and how its effects continue to persist today. We begin with the hypothesis, defended by several authors, that the genocide was not limited to Europe but was exported to other territories through the invasions of Amerindian lands, along with the concepts of gender and race. This exportation resulted in new manifestations and fed back into the European persecution. The interconnection between the interests and actions of the State and the Church enabled us to identify an extensive and complex project of expansion and political, economic, and cultural domination. Ultimately, religion was used as a tool for ideological imposition and violence, in its various forms, as a mechanism of social domination. From a Foucauldian perspective, we understand the witch-hunting as a phenomenon that both relied on and established gender difference and sexual dimorphism as a biological fiction. We delve into mapping to what extent it may have contributed to the establishment of other markers of difference based on biology and science, such as race. We have identified that the disenchantment of the world and the biologization of otherness, rooted in genocide and epistemicide, were fundamental to the exploration of both human beings and nature. This division, which we do not endorse, has increasingly marked the past centuries, allowing the development of industrial and technological capitalism. This process has brought us to the unprecedented climate and human emergency we face today.

Encarceramento feminino: um debate entre criminologia e perspectivas feministas / Female incarceration: a debate between criminology and feminist perspectives / Encarcelamiento femenino: un debate entre la criminología y las perspectivas feministas

Este ensaio teórico-reflexivo tem como objetivo discutir sobre as contribuições dos estudos da criminologia e sua crítica para as diversas formas de aprisionamento feminino, e mais atualmente para o encarceramento em massa no sistema prisional, além de abrir espaço para o debate sobre as diferentes perspectivas feministas e as relações com os estudos criminológicos, sobretudo com os posicionamentos da chamada criminologia crítica. Reconhecem-se importantes avanços e conquistas feministas no debate sobre a estruturação masculinizada do direito penal e do seu fazer jurídico, mas também a manutenção de diversas formas de violência de gênero que configuram um sistema penal antropocêntrico, seletivo, racista e discriminatório. Indica-se a urgência de estudos interseccionais que considerem as particularidades e reinvindicações das mulheres no cárcere e suas formas de militância, sobretudo diante de população carcerária feminina composta majoritariamente por mulheres negras, pobres e periféricas. Faz-se visível a necessidade de uma análise dos fatores que atravessam o encarceramento feminino por uma ótica feminista plural, adequada às realidades que se estudam e atenta às múltiplas perspectivas que podem existir dentro do feminismo.(AU)

This theoretical-reflexive essay aims to discuss the contributions of criminological studies and their critique of the various forms of imprisonment of women, and more recently of mass incarceration in the prison system, in addition to opening space for the debate on the different feminist perspectives and their relations with criminological studies, especially with the positions of the so-called critical criminology. Important feminist advances and conquests are recognized in the debate about the masculinized structure of penal law and its legal practice, but also the maintenance of diverse forms of gender violence that configure an anthropocentric, selective, racist, and discriminatory penal system. It indicates the urgency of intersectional studies that consider the particularities and claims of women in prison and their forms of militancy, especially in the face of the female prison population composed mostly of black, poor, and peripheral women. The need for an analysis of the factors that cross women's imprisonment from a plural feminist perspective, adequate to the realities under study and attentive to the multiple perspectives that may exist within feminism, becomes visible.(AU)

Este ensayo teórico-reflexivo pretende discutir las aportaciones de los estudios criminológicos y su crítica a las distintas formas de encarcelamiento femenino, y más recientemente de encarcelamiento masivo en el sistema penitenciario, además de generar debate sobre las distintas perspectivas feministas y sus relaciones con los estudios criminológicos, especialmente con las posiciones de la Criminología Crítica. Se reconocen importantes avances y logros feministas en el debate sobre la estructuración masculinizada del derecho penal y su práctica jurídica, además del mantenimiento de diversas formas de violencia de género que configuran un sistema penal antropocéntrico, selectivo, racista y discriminatorio. Se necesitan estudios interseccionales que consideren las particularidades y reivindicaciones de las mujeres en prisión y sus formas de militancia, principalmente ante la población penitenciaria femenina compuesta mayoritariamente por mujeres negras, pobres y periféricas. Se hace evidente la necesidad de analizar los factores que inciden en el encarcelamiento femenino desde una perspectiva feminista plural, adecuada a las realidades que se estudian y atenta a las múltiples perspectivas que pueden existir dentro del feminismo.(AU)

Grisi Siknis: A cultural idiom of gender-based violence and structural inequalities in eastern Nicaragua.

For the Miskitu of Nicaragua, Grisi Siknis is a contagious illness that predominantly affects women. It is characterized by numerous psychosomatic symptoms, including headache, fear, aggressive behavior, loss of consciousness, and periods of rapid frenzy. Although Grisi Siknis has gained academic and public attention due to its unique cultural elements and perceived sexual aspects, little is known how the contextual and gender dimensions of Grisi Siknis are played out in relation to the socio-political context in the region. Based on 16 months of ethnographic work in the Nicaraguan Miskitu Coast, including semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and participant observation, this article documents a semantic shift in the embodied and symbolic language of a cultural idiom of distress. I show how duhindu (Miskitu spirit associated with illness and misfortune) and witchcraft are symbols that share cultural resonance in the Miskitu community, while gender violence discourse is a new language incorporated into the logic of this cultural idiom of distress. I argue that this semantic shift allows the individuals in this study to communicate local experiences of complex forms of structural inequalities (migration status, unemployment, ethnic identity) and gender-based violence that tend to be normalized as a ubiquitous cultural problem while preserving the broader socio-cultural meaning the Grisi Siknis represents. The ethnographic accounts of Grisi Siknis provide empirical data to unpack the unexplored contextual processes and local discourses that transform the meaning and logic of cultural idioms of distress at the individual level of experience.

Sorcery and well-being: bodily transformation at Beckeranta.

This paper examines bodily transformation and well-being within the context of a millenarian movement that emerged during the 1840s in the area surrounding Mount Roraima at the periphery of Brazil, Guyana (British Guiana at the time), and Venezuela. The site of this movement was Beckeranta - meaning 'Land of the Whites' - where up to 400 Amerindians were reportedly killed in a quest that is described in its sole historical account as centred around a goal of bodily transformation into white people. In examining this movement, the paper engages with longstanding debates in medical anthropology concerning the body, as well as conversations among Amazonianists concerning the social formation of bodies, and examines sorcery and shamanism as practices that go 'beyond the body'. Notions of bodily transformation in Amazonia, which are often activated by strong emotions, facilitate conceptual expansions of the body in medical anthropology. The paper suggests that bodily transformations tied to sorcery and shamanism are in some contexts, such as at Beckeranta, associated with desires for well-being.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2020.1807726.

(Auto)cuidado, cura e sustentabilidade entre bruxas e bruxos contemporâneos em São Paulo / (Self-)care, healing and sustainability among contemporary female and male witches in São Paulo

A etnografia como um método foi fundamental para a escolha do tema, desenvolvimento e objetivo da tese. Considerando a combinação do trabalho de campo, realizado junto aos bruxos em São Paulo, especialmente os que frequentaram o Santuário da Grande Mãe, templo de wicca situado no bairro da Vila Mariana, com a bibliografia interdisciplinar utilizada, pode ser caracterizada como transdisciplinar a pesquisa. O norte desta é a relação das bruxas e bruxos contemporâneos em São Paulo com a sustentabilidade. Ligado a esta podem estar o (auto)cuidado e a cura, questões significativamente presentes nos discursos, encontros e rituais públicos. O objetivo e contribuição da pesquisa é mostrar que existem, além daquelas socialmente reconhecidas como tal, diferentes formas de expressão da ideia de sustentabilidade, tendo como base os discursos e práticas rituais de pessoas cuja religiosidade e espiritualidade estão, em tese, intrinsecamente ligadas à natureza e que à sua maneira se apropriam de e se identificam com a figura da bruxa, ainda presente e até em evidência na sociedade. A bruxaria contemporânea e seus praticantes, ambos conceituados aqui, estão inseridos numa cultura de (auto)cuidado e cura, a qual é encarada mais seriamente por quem assume o papel de sacerdote/sacerdotisa. O cuidado e a cura se referem a aspectos físicos, mentais, emocionais e espirituais nos âmbitos individual, coletivo e planetário, interligados numa perspectiva holística. A noção de sustentabilidade tem a ver com o tipo de relação que o ser humano estabelece com a natureza para que a vida humana e outras da Terra sejam preservadas. Para ser saudável, essa relação deve ser conduzida com cuidado e responsabilidade. Entre os bruxos são comuns referências a povos tradicionais e antigos que em tese tinham uma relação respeitosa com a natureza, seus ciclos e a mulher, vistos como sagrados. Ao entrarem em contato com mitos desses povos em rituais, parecem acreditar que estão resgatando ensinamentos para lidarem consigo, com os outros e a natureza de forma mais integrada e equilibrada. Alguns discursos assinalaram que praticar bruxaria é insuficiente se não houver ativismo, principalmente na esfera ambiental. Certos praticantes enxergam a sustentabilidade como uma área específica na qual alguns deles estudam, trabalham e/ou como uma ideia incorporada em seus cotidianos, discursos e encontros através de determinadas práticas socialmente reconhecidas como sustentáveis. Se aproximar de integrantes de um caminho religioso e/ou espiritual conectado à natureza possibilitou ampliar o olhar sobre a sustentabilidade, trazendo nesta pesquisa diferentes formas de expressão da referida noção.

Ethnography as a method was fundamental to the choice of the thesis topic, development and objective. Considering the combination of fieldwork, carried out with witches in São Paulo, especially those who attended the "Santuário da Grande Mãe", a Wicca temple located in the neighborhood of Vila Mariana, with the interdisciplinary bibliography used, the research can be characterized as transdisciplinary. The north of the research is the relation between contemporary female and male witches in São Paulo and sustainability. Linked to this might be (self-)care and healing, significantly present issues in the speeches, meetings and public rituals. The research objective and contribution is to show that there are, beyond those socially recognized as such, different forms of expression of the sustainability idea, based on speeches and ritual practices of people whose religiosity and spirituality are, in theory, intrinsically linked to nature, and that in their way they appropriate and identify themselves with the witch figure, still present and even in evidence in society. Contemporary witchcraft and its practitioners, both conceptualized here, are inserted in a (self-)care and healing culture, which is taken more seriously by those who assume the role of priest/priestess. Care and healing refer to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects at the individual, collective and planetary levels, interconnected in a holistic perspective. The sustainability notion has to do with the type of relationship that human beings establish with nature so that human and other life on Earth are preservnjed. To be healthy, this relationship must be conducted with caution and responsibility. Among witches, references to traditional and ancient peoples who in theory had a respectful relationship with nature, its cycles and women, seen as sacred, are common. When they come into contact with the myths of these peoples in rituals, they seem to believe that they are rescuing teachings to deal with themselves, others and nature in a more integrated and balanced way. Some speeches pointed out that practicing witchcraft is insufficient if there is no activism, especially in the environmental sphere. Certain practitioners see sustainability as a specific area in which some of them study, work and/or as an idea incorporated in their daily lives, speeches and meetings through certain practices socially recognized as sustainable. Getting closer to members of a religious and/or spiritual path connected to nature made it possible to broaden the view on sustainability, bringing in this research different ways of expressing the referred notion.

Plantas que curan y descolonialidad. prácticas cotidianas comunitarias de las mujeres, en Montes de Maria / Plantas que curam e decolonialidade. práticas cotidianas comunitárias das mulheres, em Montes de Maria / Plants that cure and decoloniality: practices of everyday life communitary of women, in Montes de Maria

RESUMEN. El artículo parte de las reflexiones de la investigación de Doctorado Grupalidad curadora. Descolonialidad de saberes-prácticas campesinas y afroindígenas en Montes de María (Caribe colombiano); interesada, desde una perspectiva descolonial, por aquellos saberes para curar que fueron excluidos por la ciencia moderna y colonial, silenciando el potencial que entraña la comunidad. Nos centramos en las prácticas cotidianas como curar con plantas que utilizan las mujeres campesinas en las comunidades San Francisco, Medellín y Villa Colombia (Ovejas-Sucre). Las herramientas y técnicas fueron el mapeo de saberes y prácticas comunitarias, entrevistas colectivas, observaciones y recorridos comunitarios por las veredas y las huertas; también el diario de campo, como herramienta de apoyo para el registro y la descripción. El método de análisis cualitativo de la información, privilegió el punto de vista de la experiencia de las mujeres. Los aportes descoloniales orientaron nuestras reflexiones y el análisis del material de campo sobre los saberes y prácticas de cura. En el conocimiento silenciado que reside en las prácticas cotidianas de las mujeres campesinas estarían las claves para curar los dolores de la guerra en los territorios colombianos; lo que justifica una reflexión y un aprendizaje para la academia, en particular, para la Psicología Comunitaria.

RESUMO. O artigo parte das reflexões de pesquisa de doutorado Grupalidade Curadora. Descolonialidade dos saberes-práticas camponesas e afroindígenas em Montes de Maria (Caribe colombiano), interessada, a partir de uma perspectiva descolonial, esses saberes para curar que foram excluídos pela ciência moderna e colonial, silenciando o potencial envolvido na comunidade. Focalizamos as práticas cotidianas como curar com plantas usadas pelas mulheres camponesas nas comunidades San Francisco, Medellín e Villa Colombia (Ovejas-Sucre). As ferramentas e técnicas eram mapeamento de saberes e práticas comunitárias, entrevistas coletivas, observações e visitas comunitárias pelos caminhos e hortas; também o diário de campo, como ferramenta de apoio ao registro e descrição. O método de análise qualitativa da informação privilegiou o ponto de vista e a experiência das mulheres. Aportes descoloniais orientaram nossas reflexões e a análise do material de campo sobre os saberes e práticas de cura. No conhecimento silenciado que reside nas práticas cotidianas, haveria as chaves para curar as dores da guerra nos territórios colombianos; o que justifica uma reflexão e um aprendizado para a academia, em especial, para a Psicologia Comunitária.

ABSTRACT. This article originates from the PhD research Groupality curator: Decoloniality of peasant and afro-indigenous knowledge/practices in Montes de Maria (Colombian Caribbean); from a decolonial perspective, it is interested on the knowledge of cure that were excluded by modern/colonial science. Ando as a consequence, it has silenced the potential of the community. The central point of our study are the practices of everyday life related to cure with medicinal plants that are employed by peasant women in the communities of San Francisco, Medellin and Villa Colombia (Ovejas-Sucre). The tools and techniques we used were mapping community knowledge and practices, collective interviews, observations, trips along the countryside roads and vegetable gardens, and, finally, a field diary—as support tool for registration and description. The method of qualitative analysis of information privileges the point of view and experience of woman. The decolonial contributions enabled us to direct our reflections and analyses of the field material toward knowledge and practices of cura. In the silenced knowledge that resides in the practices of everyday life of peasant women would be the keys to heal the pains of war in the Colombian territories; which justifies a reflection and learning for the academy, in particular, for Community Psychology.

Pócimas de bruja en la literatura del siglo de Oro Español: la otra cara de los agentes terapéuticos y psicotrópicos / Witches' Potions in the Literature of the Spanish Golden Age: The Other Side of the Therapeutic and Psychotropic Agents

Los textos literarios del Siglo de Oro constituyen una interesante fuente para el estudio de la sociedad española tardorrenacentista y novobarroca, incluyendo sus figuras más marginales. En el presente trabajo, hemos analizado el mundo mágico de brujas y hechiceras desde la perspectiva del uso extraterapéutico de agentes farmacológicos y psicotrópicos, a través de los principales autores áureos, centrándonos, básicamente, en Miguel de Cervantes y Lope de Vega. Se han estudiado los principales agentes empleados en la elaboración de las pócimas venenosas de bruja, destacando las plantas alucinógenas de la familia de las Solanaceae (beleño, mandrágora, belladona, estramonio, solano, eléboro), además de otras, como el acónito, la cicuta, la adelfa, la verbena o la adormidera. Otras sustancias de procedencia animal o mineral también se emplearon en la confección de estos preparados (sapos, arsénico). Finalmente, se han analizado las posibles fuentes documentales en materia científica que pudieron utilizar estos dos destacados literatos, como el Dioscórides comentado por Andrés Laguna en ambos casos, y la Historia Natural de Plinio, comentada por Francisco Hernández y Gerónimo de Huerta, y el opúsculo Il Sapere Util'e Delettevole de Constantino Castriota, en el caso particular de Lope de Vega.

The literary texts of the Golden Age are an interesting source for the study of Spanish late Renaissance and early Baroque society, including their most marginal figures. In the present work, we have analyzed the magical world of witches and sorceresses from the perspective of extra-therapeutic use of pharmacological and psychotropic substances, through the main golden authors, focusing basically on Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega. The main agents used in the production of witches poisonous potions have been studied, highlighting the hallucinogenic plants of the Solanaceae family (henbane, mandrake, belladonna, jumsonweed, nightshade, hellebore), in addition to others, such as aconite, hemlock, oleander, vervain or poppy. Other substances of animal or mineral origin were also used in the preparation of these compounds (toads, arsenic). Finally, we have analyzed the possible documentary sources in scientific matter that could be used by these two prominent writers, such as the Dioscorides commented by Andrés Laguna in both cases, and Pliny's Natural History, commented on by Francisco Hernández and Gerónimo de Huerta, and the booklet Il Sapere Util'e Delettevole by Constantino Castriota, in the particular case of Lope de Vega.

Witchcraft and Biopsychosocial Causes of Mental Illness: Attitudes and Beliefs About Mental Illness Among Health Professionals in Five Countries.

This study examines the intercorrelation of measures reflecting beliefs about and attitudes toward people with mental illness in a sample of health professionals (N = 902) from five countries: Brazil, China, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States, and, more specifically, the association of beliefs in supernatural as contrasted with biopsychosocial causes of mental illness. Factor analysis of a 43-item questionnaire identified four factors favoring a) socializing with people with mental illness; b) normalizing their roles in society; c) belief in supernatural causes of mental illness (e.g., witchcraft, curses); and d) belief in biopsychosocial causes of mental illness. Unexpectedly, a hypothesized negative association between belief in supernatural and biopsychosocial causation of mental illness was not found. Belief in the biopsychosocial causation was weakly associated with less stigmatized attitudes towards socializing and normalized roles.

[Infinite metamorphosis: witches, spirits and apuntes in Havana]. / Metamorfose infinita: sobre brujos, espíritos e apuntes em Havana.

This article offers an alternative reading of Hampa afro-cubana: los negros brujos, by the Cuban Fernando Ortiz y Fernandes, and discusses the need to make the different ideas expounded by the author more complex. For this reason, it disputes the interpretations of some commentators influenced by his work. The article suggests some clues with regard to what Ortiz y Fernandes understood as forces capable of acting and manifesting themselves in the "bodies" of persons affected by the activities of those accused of being involved with magical practices and objects. It examines the creation of witches - as described by Ortiz y Fernandes - as an epistemic phenomenon and discusses the arguments and the practices and knowledge required for this purpose.

Metamorfose infinita: sobre brujos, espíritos e apuntes em Havana / Infinite metamorphosis: witches, spirits and apuntes in Havana

O artigo oferece uma leitura alternativa de Hampa afro-cubana: los negros brujos, do cubano Fernando Ortiz y Fernandes, e discute a necessidade de problematizar as diferentes ideias expostas pelo autor. Para isso, contesta leituras de alguns comentadores influenciados por sua obra. O artigo sugere algumas pistas acerca do que Ortiz y Fernandes entendia como forças capazes de agir e manifestar-se nos "corpos" de sujeitos afetados pela agência dos acusados de envolvimento com práticas e objetos mágicos. Debruça-se sobre a criação dos brujos - conforme descritos por Ortiz y Fernandes - como um objeto epistêmico e discute os argumentos e práticas de conhecimento necessários à sua fabricação.

This article offers an alternative reading of Hampa afro-cubana: los negros brujos, by the Cuban Fernando Ortiz y Fernandes, and discusses the need to make the different ideas expounded by the author more complex. For this reason, it disputes the interpretations of some commentators influenced by his work. The article suggests some clues with regard to what Ortiz y Fernandes understood as forces capable of acting and manifesting themselves in the "bodies" of persons affected by the activities of those accused of being involved with magical practices and objects. It examines the creation of witches - as described by Ortiz y Fernandes - as an epistemic phenomenon and discusses the arguments and the practices and knowledge required for this purpose.

Ethnic syndromes as disguise for protest against colonialism: three ethnographic examples.

Historical connections are suggested between the domination of 1 culture by another and dissociative spiritual and religious responses to that oppression. Connections are drawn between colonial oppression, trauma, and 3 examples of dissociation and spirit possession: the Zar cult of Southern Sudan, "Puerto Rican syndrome" or ataque, and the Balinese trance dance. Discussed by means of these examples are the role and functions of spirit possession as a means of escape from unbearable reality, where it becomes a form of the expression of needs and desires forbidden by authorities, a way of entering an identity not subject to traditional authorities, and reenactment of traumatic experience.

Tourette's syndrome: from demonic possession and psychoanalysis to the discovery of gene.

In this paper we make a brief historical review of the hypothesis concerning the etiology of Tourette's syndrome (TS), focusing on varying trends over time: at first, its presumed relation to witchcraft and demonic possessions, followed by the psychoanalytical theory, which attributed TS to a masturbatory equivalent. Then, progressing to modern time, to the immunological theory and finally the advent of genetics and their role in the etiology of TS.

Involuntary mass spirit possession among the Miskitu.

This paper seeks to understand the outbreaks and the development of grisi siknis, a form of mass spirit possession among the Miskitu of north-eastern Nicaragua. Earlier documented outbreaks typically involved a few adolescents, however, in recent years, violent large-scale epidemics have taken place, involving many people of all ages. This has coincided with recent developments in Miskitu society marked by conflicts, contradictions and tense social relations. The anthropological field technique of participant-observation was used. The research took place during 11 months from 2005 to 2008 in the port town of Puerto Cabezas. A total of 38 informants were interviewed. Group discussions, narratives and informal and semi-structured interviews were carried out, as well as participation in healing rituals. The paper shows that socio-economic, cultural, personal as well as environmental factors all contribute to outbreaks of grisi siknis. The affliction has previously been considered a 'culture-bound syndrome' only occurring among the Miskitu. However, when viewed in a more contemporary context and cross-cultural perspective, grisi siknis shows similarities with other forms of involuntary mass spirit possession, particularly in the ways it is manifested, experienced and appears to be spreading. The paper argues that the phenomenon should no longer be considered a 'culture-bound condition' but in fact a Miskitu version of involuntary mass spirit possession. Further research that seeks to understand other forms of involuntary mass spirit possession should emphasize the social, personal and environmental context as well as cross-cultural comparisons in order to encompass fully the role of culture in relation to illness and suffering.

Tourette's syndrome: from demonic possession and psychoanalysis to the discovery of gene / Síndrome de Tourette: da possessão demoníaca e da psicanálise à descoberta dos genes

In this paper we make a brief historical review of the hypothesis concerning the etiology of Tourette's syndrome (TS), focusing on varying trends over time: at first, its presumed relation to witchcraft and demonic possessions, followed by the psychoanalytical theory, which attributed TS to a masturbatory equivalent. Then, progressing to modern time, to the immunological theory and finally the advent of genetics and their role in the etiology of TS.

Os autores fazem uma breve revisão histórica enfatizando alguns importantes fatores relacionados com a síndrome de Tourette (ST) através dos tempos. Primeiramente, a relação da síndrome com possessões demoníacas, bruxaria; depois, a hipótese psicanalítica, que considerava os tiques como um equivalente masturbatório. Na sequência, discute-se a hipótese imunológica; depois, revisa-se a hipótese imunológica; finalmente, o papel dos genes na etiologia da ST.

Concepción mágico-religiosa de la Medicina en la América Prehispánica / Magical and religious beliefs in Medicine in Pre-Hispanic America

La génesis de la Medicina en la América Prehispánica puede aún verse reflejada en la cosmovisión mágico religiosa que en la actualidad los pueblos originarios, que poblaron esta tierra y han subsistido, mantienen sobre el fenómeno de la enfermedad y en sus costumbres terapéuticas. El pensamiento mágico û religioso en la salud y la forma de afrontar la enfermedad se caracterizaron por ser ampliamente difundidos en todas las culturas del norte, centro y sur de América.

The origins of medicine in pre-Hispanic South America are still evident in the magic and religious cosmic vision that influences the beliefs of many native South American with respect to health and disease and their therapy approaches. This magical-religious approach for health and disease has been widely spread in North, Central and South America cultures.

Vovós feiticeiras: algumas reflexões sobre tristes relatos de idosas moçambicanas / Granny witches: reflections on the sadstories of older Mozambican women

Este artigo tem por objetivo trazer algumas reflexões, e alertar a sociedade para os vários tipos de violência que enfrentam as idosas em Moçambique: perda de bens, terras e morada, violência física, sexual, psicológica, abuso financeiro; isto é, o uso ilegal e não autorizado dos bens, dinheiro, pensão ou outros bens de valor da pessoa idosa, incluindo falsificar o testamento do idoso para incluir o perpetrador como herdeiro, expulsão da casa onde vive com a acusação de serem feiticeiras, até chegar a seu assassinato. Para além disso, as idosas confrontam-se com a dilema de terem sob sua responsabilidade crianças órfãs do HIV/SIDA e outras doenças, quase sem o apoio do Estado. Particular realce se dá às acusações de feitiçaria em que a Associação dos Médicos Tradicionais de Moçambique (AMETRAMO) e os curandeiros intervêm de duas formas: quer com o papel de acusador, instigador da violência, quer como alvo da violência. O conceito feitiço está presente no quotidiano e na vida social e nas relações sociais de muitos moçambicanos que tentam encontrar a causa dos seus problemas no feitiço e, sob esta óptica, as idosas são o bode expiatório dos males. Por outro lado, a constatação da alta mortalidade de jovens adultos, quer devido ao HIV/SIDA quer por outros motivos, e o número de pessoas idosas sobreviventes aos inúmeros males da sociedade, criam suspeitas sobre a razão da sua longevidade que atribuem, muitas vezes, à feitiçaria.(AU)

Particular attention is paid to the accusations of witchcraft, in which the Traditional Doctor´s Association of Mozambique (AMETRAMO) and traditional healers play two roles: one as the accuser and instigator of violence, and the other as the target of that violence. The idea of witchcraft is an integral part of daily life and social relations, and many Mozambicans like to think it is the cause of their problems: in this sense older women are the scapegoats for their ills. At the same time the reality of high mortality rates among young adults due to HIV/AIDS and other causes, together with the number of older people who have survived these evils, gives rise to suspicions as to the reasons for their longevity, which is often attributed to witchcraft. Particular attention is paid to the accusations of witchcraft, in which the Traditional Doctor´s Association of Mozambique (AMETRAMO) and traditional healers play two roles: one as the accuser and instigator of violence, and the other as the target of that violence. The idea of witchcraft is an integral part of daily life and social relations, and many Mozambicans like to think it is the cause of their problems: in this sense older women are the scapegoats for their ills. At the same time the reality of high mortality rates among young adults due to HIV/AIDS and other causes, together with the number of older people who have survived these evils, gives rise to suspicions as to the reasons for their longevity, which is often attributed to witchcraft.(AU)

Vovós feiticeiras: algumas reflexões sobre tristes relatos de idosas moçambicanas / Granny witches: reflections on the sadstories of older Mozambican women

Este artigo tem por objetivo trazer algumas reflexões, e alertar a sociedade para os vários tipos de violência que enfrentam as idosas em Moçambique: perda de bens, terras e morada, violência física, sexual, psicológica, abuso financeiro; isto é, o uso ilegal e não autorizado dos bens, dinheiro, pensão ou outros bens de valor da pessoa idosa, incluindo falsificar o testamento do idoso para incluir o perpetrador como herdeiro, expulsão da casa onde vive com a acusação de serem feiticeiras, até chegar a seu assassinato. Para além disso, as idosas confrontam-se com a dilema de terem sob sua responsabilidade crianças órfãs do HIV/SIDA e outras doenças, quase sem o apoio do Estado. Particular realce se dá às acusações de feitiçaria em que a Associação dos Médicos Tradicionais de Moçambique (AMETRAMO) e os curandeiros intervêm de duas formas: quer com o papel de acusador, instigador da violência, quer como alvo da violência. O conceito feitiço está presente no quotidiano e na vida social e nas relações sociais de muitos moçambicanos que tentam encontrar a causa dos seus problemas no feitiço e, sob esta óptica, as idosas são o bode expiatório dos males. Por outro lado, a constatação da alta mortalidade de jovens adultos, quer devido ao HIV/SIDA quer por outros motivos, e o número de pessoas idosas sobreviventes aos inúmeros males da sociedade, criam suspeitas sobre a razão da sua longevidade que atribuem, muitas vezes, à feitiçaria...

Particular attention is paid to the accusations of witchcraft, in which the Traditional Doctor´s Association of Mozambique (AMETRAMO) and traditional healers play two roles: one as the accuser and instigator of violence, and the other as the target of that violence. The idea of witchcraft is an integral part of daily life and social relations, and many Mozambicans like to think it is the cause of their problems: in this sense older women are the scapegoats for their ills. At the same time the reality of high mortality rates among young adults due to HIV/AIDS and other causes, together with the number of older people who have survived these evils, gives rise to suspicions as to the reasons for their longevity, which is often attributed to witchcraft. Particular attention is paid to the accusations of witchcraft, in which the Traditional Doctor´s Association of Mozambique (AMETRAMO) and traditional healers play two roles: one as the accuser and instigator of violence, and the other as the target of that violence. The idea of witchcraft is an integral part of daily life and social relations, and many Mozambicans like to think it is the cause of their problems: in this sense older women are the scapegoats for their ills. At the same time the reality of high mortality rates among young adults due to HIV/AIDS and other causes, together with the number of older people who have survived these evils, gives rise to suspicions as to the reasons for their longevity, which is often attributed to witchcraft...

Viviendo con el diablo en casa. La enfermedad, hechicería infantil y violencia entre los asháninka desde la perpectiva misionera adventista / Living with the devil in house. The disease, child sorcery and violence among the asháninka from the Adventist missionary perspective

Desde su establecimiento en la selva central peruana, hacia la década de 1920, los misioneros adventistas han reportado constantemente la permanencia de una serie de manisfestaciones rituales tradicionales entre los conversos asháninkas, las cuales, a pesar de la constante crítica y prédica misionera, siguen teniendo gran vitalidad hasta nuestros días. Entre estas, las que han sido mayormente denunciadas -y enfrentadas por la acción evangelizadora y pastoral- han sido las prácticas de shamanismo y las acusaciones de hechicería. En los últimos años este tema ha despertado un notorio interés dentro de la antropología amazónica; por eso el artículo propone una reflexión sobre las apreciaciones y juicios generados desde la perspectiva misionera acerca de estos fenómenos. A la vez anota cómo la cosmovisión de los indígenas conversos al adventismo, más allá de generar un rompimiento con su religiosidad tradicional y la aceptación de una explicación doctrinal cristiana sobre el origen del mal y la enfermedad, ha generado una interpretación compleja donde tienen vigencia concepciones tradicionales y > para entender el principio y al presencia del mal y el demonio en el mundo.

Since is establishment in the central jungle of Peru, to the 1920's, Adventist missionaries have constantly reported the permanency of a series of traditional rituals among the converted Asháninkas, which despite hard and constant criticism and missionary preaching, retain great vitality to the present day. Among these, the one that has been mainly reported -and then confroted by evangelization and pastoral action- has been the practice of "shamanism" and accusations of witchcraft accusat Understanding that this issue tin the recent years has provoked interest within the Amazonian anthropology, we propose a reflection about the trials generated from the missionary perspective about this phenomena, noting how the worldview of indigenous converts to Adventism, beyond generating a break with their traditional religion and the acceptance of a Christian doctrinal explanation about the origins of the evil and disease, it has generated a complex interpretation of modern and traditional concepts to understand the principle and the presence of evil and the devil in the world.