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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Intersectional women as spiritual actors and leaders: a comparative case study

presenters

    Reet Hiiemäe

    Nationality: Estonia

    Residence: Estonia

    Department of Folkloristics, Estonian Literary Museum

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

This paper will focus on three female spiritual practitioners from different contemporary settings: Estonia, India, and Africa. Analysing how these three women have been marginalized and find themselves in the role of the Other because of their unusual life events (e.g., becoming a widow in the Indian case), character traits (hypersensitivity in the Estonian case) and specific supernatural experiences (communicating with gods and other supernatural forces in all three cases) but how the same manifestations of intersectionality have paved them the path for becoming spiritual actors and leaders. Thus, this case study will exemplify that becoming a spiritual actor is not necessarily a choice but rather one of the few options or the only one that can fit to such a person. However, such a life course can still turn intersectionality into resilience when it becomes a building block in a role that sees hypersensitivity or paranormal experiences as spiritual capital and a precondition for gaining and sharing spiritual wisdom. So, although these women may still be viewed as the cultural Other by the society in general, their Otherness will be embedded into a meaningful narrative of spirituality for themselves and the ones who seek their help.

Keywords:

intersectionality, resilience, spirituality