The Anti-Witch

Description

Jeanne Favret-Saada is arguably one of France’s most brilliant anthropologists, and The Anti-Witch is nothing less than a masterpiece. A synthesis of ethnographic theory and psychoanalytic revelation, where the line between researcher and subject is blurred—if not erased—The Anti-Witch develops the contours of an anthropology of therapy, while deeply engaging with what it means to be caught in the logic of witchcraft. Through an intimate and provocative sharing of the ethnographic voice with Madame Flora, a “dewitcher,” Favret-Saada delivers a critical challenge to some of anthropology’s fundamental concepts. Sure to be of interest to practitioners of psychoanalysis as well as to anthropologists, The Anti-Witch will bring a new generation of scholars into conversation with the work of a truly innovative thinker. Contents Editorial Note Foreword by Veena Das Acknowledgments I. Prelude II. Unwitting Therapy The psychoanalyst, the anthropologist, and the native The words of witchcraft Narrating witchcraft Theory and practice III. Birth of a Therapy Comparison of exemplary narratives Bewitching and dewitching The agents of witchcraft Abnormal force IV. “Oh the witch, the filthy bitch, your neighbor …” The therapeutic frame Healing the unwitting Violence shifters The deck of cards as therapeutic journey Proof by tarot Neutralizing the anxiety-inducing field Prescribing actions The therapist’s voice as act of enfolding The tarot cards of Mademoiselle Lenormand V. Those left behind by the symbolic order State sanctification of custom Passive resistance versus enthusiastic commitment Salvation in the form of feminine wiles Therapy as housework On not being an “individual producer” It’s since I set up in my own name… A catch-up institution VI. Being Affected References Index