Anthropology Book Review

Anthropology Book Review


Mind Over Mind: The Anthropology and Psychology of Spirit Possession. Morton Klass. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. 138 pp.

Morton Klass was a noted Anthropologist who focused primarily on religion, race relations, and social structures. He taught at Barnard College and Columbia University and was very driven by various cultures throughout the world. He also received his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University as well.

This book was published after the author’s death in 2001. His wife, Sheila Soloman Klass, put his manuscripts together while preserving as much of his own words as possible. She noted that his book’s intentions were to reach readers beyond anthropology, including psychology, as well. Dr. Klass seemed unsettled from anthropologists who seemed quick to dismiss spirit possession as fraudulent and deceptive with, perhaps, a hint of psychosis. But not true “spirit” or “demon” possession.

I selected this book because it dealt with many subjects that I’m passionate about. Cultural anthropology being one. The topic of other cultures, religions, and ways of life experienced by people different from myself is like a surprise on Christmas day. There is always something new to learn and some things are quite surprising! I also have a personal interest in the paranormal and how different groups view it. I felt that this book would put everything together perfectly. I did not have a definitive personal opinion regarding spirit possession, and since I was practically unbiased, I felt it would be a great topic to read about.

I respect Klass and his work, however this particular book was rather hard to read at times. I’m not an expert on anthropology by no means, but I felt the information he provided in the first few chapters to “introduce” the reader to anthropology was rather grueling. Sometimes it’s hard to find who his target audience is intended to be. At one point it seems somewhat elementary, and other times more of an experienced audience. He seems to go piece by piece introducing anthropology, but at the same time speaks to a more advanced audience. At the end of chapter two, however, Klass does point out the following:
“I am aware that in this chapter I have dragged the reader down an intricate and possibly even wearying road. My defense, simply, is that it was absolutely necessary if the nonanthropologist reading this book is to understand the suggestions I propose to offer about the nature of spirit possession. I think that this chapter is even necessary for my anthropological readers.” (35)

He moves on in chapter three by introducing James G. Frazer and his research of the spirit possession phenomenon. According to Klass, Frazer’s work on spirit possessions observed in countries around the world were questionable considering his observations were never made in the field. Klass moved on to compare Frazer with other anthropologists whose work did include first-hand observations. These include Alfred Metraux and his observations from Haiti, and Melville J. Herskovits and his work in Africa, Haiti, and the Caribbean.

Klass compared the work of Metraux and Herskovits and the similarities between the two regarding the onset of possession. However, he noted that others, such as Lesley Sharp, noted a far different onset. One that was more calm than the epileptic sort that they described. But Klass did a fantastic job giving detailed descriptions of the possessions that he experienced. He turns his attention later in the chapter to what is going on during the spirit possessions and finds that it is a topic often ignored in anthropology. Frazer’s proposal was that it was not as genuine as people are made to believe and that anthropologists even play in to the deception. Klass concedes that it is possible that at some point in history even an educated anthropologist can be fooled into believing, but does not agree this is always the case.

Klass later introduces anthropologist Paul Rabin as having his own explanation of what is going on in spirit possession. He describes it more of a “mental abnormality” affecting the shamans and medicine men of magic-centered cultures. But brings up the interesting question of “What is considered abnormal?” What is normal to one culture may be extremely abnormal to another. He even went on to describe his interactions with a “healer” (olja) in India in the 1960’s. The olja explains that the illnesses are caused by “tejos” and affect some people but not others to varying degrees.

Klass offers in the end of the chapter that we often try to offer simple explanations for something that is anything but simple. We are often biased and try to find a simpler explanation that soothes our own minds and doesn’t leave us thinking twice. I have to agree with how he thinks on the topic overall.

That leads in to the matter at hand in the next few chapters, which is the anthropologists place in “deciding” what really takes place in something such as spirit possession. In other cultural observations the anthropologist is keen to stay unbiased in their observations and conclusions, looking at “just the facts”. He also touches upon the need to understand fields, such as psychology, so that they can be contributing factors to the anthropologist. Klass focuses more on the psychopathological aspect of people being studied. Most notably dissociation and things such as Multiple Personality Disorder (Dissociative Identity Disorder).

Klass ends the book with combining everything into one. The hopes of getting a more thorough explanation as to what is going on with regards to spirit possession. From an anthropologists point of view, he leans away from using “mental disorder” as the explanation for what goes on with alleged spirit possession. Instead he offers up new categories that are not indicative of any sort of mental illness. He even wanders into the question of the uniqueness of this by humans only. If animals have any hint of personality, could they too be affected by the same things we find in humans with regards to dissociative disorders? Klass also goes further by identifying it as a phenomena rather than a disorder. Personally, I tend to agree with this approach.

Klass did a fantastic job of breaking down his ideas into various phenomena. The ones mentioned are Dissociative Consciousness Phenomena, Dissociative Identity Phenomena, and Imposed Dissociative Phenomena. His intention of identifying the various phenomena is to make a contribution to other sciences and specialties to reach more of an understanding. He makes a point to explain that there are still a lot of unanswered questions that still need to be resolved, but hopes that this is a big stepping stone.

Like most of Klass’ work, there is a lot of genius (for lack of a better word) in his approach and research into this topic. He is able to separate myth and preconceived ideas from what he was truly able to observe. He took subject matter that has no clear cut answer and attempts to make a modest explanation “achievable”. Overall the book is interesting, though difficult to read at times. But once you are able to get on a roll and understand his goals you see the real genius in his thought processes.