Kapferer, Bruce (2000) Sexuality and the art of seduction in Sinhalese exorcism. Ethnos, 65 (1). pp. 5-32.

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Abstract

In the interest of extending an understanding of ritual aesthetics this paper examines Sinhala exorcism as a domain of seduction. The analysis centres on a major Sinhala ritual held only for women, and its related mythology, in which sexuality is conceived as being destructive of regenerative processes. The rite engages seductive forces to break the destructive dynamic. The argument develops into a general discussion of the 'logic' of Sinhalese exorcism and how the aesthetic and seductive forces of rite are able to break the paradox of contradiction which is also integral to the ritual process. The article stresses ritual as a dynamic of both depth and surface, the two aspects being in complementary relation.

Item ID:	12856
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1469-588X
Keywords:	aesthetics; anthropology; exorcism; ritual; sexuality
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2012 04:53
FoR Codes:	16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1601 Anthropology > 160104 Social and Cultural Anthropology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9504 Religion and Ethics > 950405 Religious Structures and Ritual @ 100%
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