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HEALERS AND WITCHES IN OKU:
AN OCCULT SYSTEM OF KNOWLEDGE IN NORTHWEST CAMEROON
by
Brian A. Bartelt
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(ANTHROPOLOGY)
December 2006
Copyright 2006 Brian A. Bartelt
Object Description
| Title | Healers and witches in Oku: an occult system of knowledge in northwest Cameroon |
| Author | Bartelt, Brian Arturo |
| Author email | deserteyeq@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Anthropology |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2006-04-26 |
| Date submitted | 2006 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2006-12-07 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Hoskins, Janet |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Moore, G. Alexander Kalman, Gabor Simic, Andrei Fusi, Martin |
| Abstract | Many sub-Saharan African cultures share a worldview in which access to multiple levels of consciousness are positively sanctioned and enculturated. In these cultures, experiences had in dreams, visions, and under various ritual conditions contribute to the society's general system of knowledge. Using a phenomenological approach, this dissertation examines traditional healing and ways of knowing in the community of Oku, Cameroon, where the intervention of occult forces permeates all aspects of society. From sorcery and divination to dream diagnostics, the healers' senses are directed towards discovering the reasons for disharmony and how to restore the balance. Analyzing the role of sensory orders in the manifestation of occult phenomena reveals a complex relationship between consciousness, perception, and spirituality that is at the heart of traditional medicine in Cameroon. The very embodiment of occult religious practice in Oku, traditional healers operate in various spheres of the occult collectively known as ju-ju. This secrecy and the potential to use ju-ju to afflict rather than heal represent in particular the 'dark side' of traditional healing, wherein various fetishes are understood to have agency over human affairs.; The strength of Oku society lies in its medicines, established by the ancestors and vigorously maintained by a strict adherence to traditional laws. By retaining their holistic outlook without the scientific and technological expertise, Oku's traditional healers echo postmodern thinking that there exist other dimensions of knowing and experiencing beyond the 'rationalist' approach of modern science. Moving from the mystical-religious domain and into an explainable one, witchcraft and other occult- related phenomena in Oku can be understood without necessarily opposing reality and fantasy, by studying the links among witchcraft, spirituality, and healing, and their combined effects on consciousness. |
| Keyword | traditional healing; witchcraft; African religion; Cameroon; consciousness; secret societies |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m220 |
| Rights | Bartelt, Brian Arturo |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/services/ask_a_librarian/email/ |
| Filename | etd-Bartelt-20061207 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume14/etd-Bartelt-20061207.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | HEALERS AND WITCHES IN OKU: AN OCCULT SYSTEM OF KNOWLEDGE IN NORTHWEST CAMEROON by Brian A. Bartelt A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ANTHROPOLOGY) December 2006 Copyright 2006 Brian A. Bartelt |
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