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- Title
The "Queerness" of Ceremony: Possession and Sacred Space in Haitian Religion.
- Authors
Nwokocha, Eziaku
- Abstract
This article offers a lens to consider how the ceremonial space of Vodou functions as a queer site, allowing for experiences of spiritual possession by Vodou spirits, as well as unconventional expressions of gender and sexuality for participants, especially Black women. I draw from theorists of religion, gender, and diaspora studies in order to frame this argument. Historian of religion Mircea Eliade develops the notion of "sacred space" to elucidate the participants' transformation through direct contact with the divine. Religion scholar Tracey E. Hucks explains how Black women's worship of and devotion to African-derived goddesses empowers them, grounding them with a strong sense of self-worth and history. Additionally, gender studies scholar Gayatri Gopinath expands definitions of queer diaspora, describing how "queer desires, bodies and subjectivities become dense sites of memory in the production and reproduction of culture and communal belonging." Lastly, drawing from the work of Gina Athena Ulysse, Audre Lorde, and Zora Neale Hurston, I use an auto-ethnographic approach to analyze my own experiences within a Haitian Vodou community in Montreal as a participant observer in order to explore these complex notions of Black womanhood, motherhood, and sexuality. I also rely on ethnographic and historical research and interviews with practitioners on Haitian Vodou. It is my hope that this and other such studies will demonstrate the value of pursuing critical research on gender and sexuality in Haitian Vodou.
- Subjects
SACRED space; SPIRIT possession; VODOU; LGBTQ+ people; RELIGION &; gender; HUMAN sexuality; BLACK women; HAITIAN diaspora
- Publication
Journal of Haitian Studies, 2019, Vol 25, Issue 2, p71
- ISSN
1090-3488
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/jhs.2019.0018