Abstract
This paper analyzes the Muslim women faith healers of Malabar – in terms of their presence, practices, and healing methods they promote – as one of the regional/latest/distinct manifestations of a larger process that I prefer to call ‘democratization of medical knowledge’ in Muslim community. This larger social process of ‘democratization of medical knowledge’ is arguably facilitated by diverse discursive religious traditions of Islam thriving over time and sometimes in conflict with each other. Challenges posed by the political Islam by criticising the faith healing practices as unIslamic, particularly women as faith healers, and the resistance to it by organised Islamic organisations created a diversification of healing tradition in Malabar region. This entails the shift from viewing faith healing as an ‘artistocratic virtue’ to that of an ‘ordinary’ practice. Social agency of women faith healers played a major role in this shift as religious authority often maintained by their counterparts. Therefore, this ethnographic study examines how the women’s agency plays a significant role in democratisation of medical knowledge, acquiring legitimacy from non-religious sources and authority in contemporary Kerala.
Presenters
Muhammed Hussain AvStudent, Doctoral Student, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
FAITH HEALING, GENDER, MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE, POLITICAL ISLAM, DISCURSIVE TRADITION
