TRANCE AND SPIRIT POSSESSION IN THE ETHNOGRAPHIC RECORD
Dissociative trance behaviors are observed in the majority of human societies. One of the most robust databases of cross-cultural information available, GP Murdoch’s Ethnographic Atlas (REF. 1-3), reports trance behavior in 495 out of 658 different societies for which data are available. See Figure 1 below.
Trance behaviors are often culturally interpreted as spirit possession. Figure 2 (below) shows over 60% of societies in the Ethnographic Atlas reporting belief in spirit possession (n = 405). Yet, only 7% (n = 45) do this without an associated trance-state. Of societies that do report the presence of trance states, the majority report an associated belief in possession (n = 360). See figure 2 below.
MAPPING TRANCE AND POSSESSION
Cubes on the map above are approximate coordinates of the 658 unique societies for which data trance and possession are available and comparable (REF. 1-3). Use the legend to interpret the color coding for the cubes.
The same data used to create this map can be downloaded via the D-PLACE database3.
DATA SOURCES/REFERENCES*
ORIGINAL DATA SOURCE: Murdock GP. Ethnographic Atlas, Installments I-XXVII. Ethnology. 1–10.
UPDATED/CORRECTED SOURCE: Kirby KR, et al. D-PLACE: A global database of cultural, linguistic and environmental diversity. PLoS One. 2016;11:e0158391.
*Original sources of data in the map above are too numerous to list here. Please see source database.