Marcela Perdomo

As a sociocultural anthropologist of contemporary Afro-diasporic societies in the Americas and the Caribbean, my research sits at the intersection of religion, indigeneity, ethnicity, historical consciousness and the African diaspora. My work contributes to a growing body of literature examining the centrality of spirit possession practices among Afro-Atlantic religions. My current project, "Healing the Dead: Memory and Possession in the Garifuna Dugu of Honduras," is an ethnographic account of spirit possession among local mediums who incarnate the spirits of their ancestors. These mediums primarily acquire religious knowledge through bodily experiences and enactments rather than through explicit religious instruction. Therefore, my research focuses on the body and the sensory engagement of the possessed as a means of expressing shared values and beliefs. Moreover, my work demonstrates that ancestor worship and mediumship are practiced through material religion, emphasizing the crucial role of materiality in Africana religions, characterized by highly variable practices. Techniques for manufacturing religious objects, actions relating to objects and liturgical spaces, daily ritual gestures, and the bodily education of devotees all provide compelling arguments for adopting a pragmatic approach to religion.