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Paper Short Abstract:

In this presentation, I will discuss researching healing practices and how an anthropologist obtains knowledge through experience and personal involvement in the ritual process. The presentation will be based on my research in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Paper Abstract:

In Central Asia and the South Caucasus, sacred practices are associated with the belief that illness can be caused by evil spirits whose identification is part of the healing process; these include jinns and other spirits. Experts challenge the spirits by using techniques such as reading prayers, amulets, and and performing rituals and pilgrimages. Some people believe that healing techniques deal with invisible forces operating beyond human cognition and are legitimized by Islam; others believe that spiritual methods resemble psychological techniques that release tensions and improve a person's psychological well-being. Others do not believe in the healing by spiritual specialists and call them charlatans.

In this presentation, I will discuss researching healing practices and how an anthropologist obtains knowledge through experience and personal involvement in the ritual process. As a researcher, I often participated in healing to gain insight into the ritual process and learn about different healing techniques and their meaning and form. I will look at the boundaries of the research process for the researcher herself, such as her own body and mind, her knowledge about religion and spiritual experience acquired in the field, and during the process of education and socialization. What are possible interpretations of healing practices while observing them, and whether active participation in the process changes the researcher’s perception of epistemologies regarding Islam? In addition, I will also consider the researcher’s position as someone who negotiates and sometimes even unintentionally legitimizes the "truthfulness/authenticity" of healing when dealing with healers, community members, clients, etc.