THE TRUTH REVEALED OR THE TRUTH ASSEMBLED: RECONSIDERING THE ROLE OF THE AFRICAN DIVINER IN RELIGION AND SOCIETY
Within an emic normative framework, preferred by most writers on the topic, the diviner is presented as the passive purveyor of truth from a mystical source, denied active agency and captive to public service. An alternative, not necessarily superior, approach is explored in this article by focusing...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1995
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| In: |
Journal for the study of religion
Year: 1995, Volume: 8, Issue: 2, Pages: 3-21 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Within an emic normative framework, preferred by most writers on the topic, the diviner is presented as the passive purveyor of truth from a mystical source, denied active agency and captive to public service. An alternative, not necessarily superior, approach is explored in this article by focusing primarily on the performance of the diviner cross-culturally. What is witnessed is the fashioning of a mutually acceptable truth from the convergence of the dominant professional interests of the diviner and the pressing concerns of clients. This deliberative process is managed by the diviner, in which he or she emerges as a knowledge broker, encoding an initially mystifying message and gradually decoding it to produce an authoritative and pragmatic verdict. |
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| ISSN: | 2413-3027 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion
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