Possession and exorcism on the margins of Islam: Mali

Abstract

This article focuses on three different patterns of spirit possession in Mali, a country where spirits interact with human beings. Some Malian cases – but not all of them – comfort the well-received theory asserting that possession is a form of protest and is related to a historical crisis. African possession cults are generally considered as characteristics of marginal groups in response to the domination of a monotheist religion, especially Islam and Christianity, but several cults from the Minianka area contradict this ideal type. At a national level, some cults look for a compromise with the spirits, while others are aimed to get rid of them.