The over-policing of the devil : a sociology of exorcism

Giuseppe Giordan, Adam Possamai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Discussing the social construction of the phenomenon of exorcism, this article illustrates how it is located in contemporary culture and specifically in the religious field. Following the study done by Michel de Certeau on the mass possession of the Ursulines’ convent of Loudun (France) in the 17th century, the authors differentiate between the ‘possessed’ and the ‘possessionists’, that is between those who are possessed by the devil and those who are convinced of the reality of possession. Although the authors cannot claim that there has been a growth of possessed people, they make the claim that there has been an increase of ‘possessionists’ through the overpolicing of the devil: the more the over-policing of the devil is practiced, the more people are likely to become ‘possessionist’ and believe in the increase of the presence of the devil.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)444-460
Number of pages17
JournalSocial Compass
Volume63
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • demonology
  • exorcism
  • ghosts

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