Where does 'the self' in 'myself' begin and end? And what do ideas of 'spirit' tell us about the nature of human selfhood? To investigate these poorly understood matters, veteran anthropologist, neo-shaman and paranormal healer Roy Willis spent five months in a remote part of northern Zambia exploring human consciousness in a fascinating and sometimes terrifying series of adventures. This absorbing book tells the story of Willis' and his three local colleagues' quest, as they participate in and film rituals of ecstatic union with nature spirits and talk in depth with experts in managing the awesome powers of a world beyond the ordinary. The narrative follows the research team's day-to-day involvement with rituals of spirit revelation, healing, and exorcism, their encounters with the evil powers of sorcery, and the sometimes troubled relations between team members. The African healers in this book emerge both as exceptional individuals and as pioneering explorers of consciousness. Their experience is surprisingly congruent with our present sense of multiple and shifting selfhoods in the age of global electronic communication.

Also available in hardback, 9781859732830 GBP50.00 (June, 1999)

About the Author
Roy Willis Emeritus Fellow in Social Anthropology,University of Edinburgh

Reviews
'A fascinating, well-documented ethnographic study of ritual trance, sorcery and healing behavior among the Lungu people of northern Zambia... Willis' study has a unique twist -- he describes his own paranormal experiences... This rather non-traditional ethnography should be a useful addition to anthropology collections in large academic libraries.'Library Journal'I cannot put it too strongly how important it is to publish this book, to correct the balance of ethnography to include the deeper levels of ritual that as yet fall outside the boundaries of 'science'. Willis is one of the new breed of experiencing anthropologists, producing meticulously documented ethnography. What the author has done during his fieldwork is to use his own deepest power, that of healing, for his field people. This alone makes the book truly unique. The book shows how he continually edged in his style and thinking towards the ways of the Lungu until he began to experience as they did. In the



Book Information
ISBN 9781859732885
Author Roy Willis
Format Paperback
Page Count 236
Imprint Berg Publishers
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 430g