Paper short abstract

In this paper I report on my planned research on transcultural possession, focusing on possession amongst South Asian immigrants in the UK.

Paper long abstract

Little research has been done on "transcultural possession" -- that is, on cases where immigrants display possession or possession-like behavior in a context where it is pathologized and stigmatized. And yet such phenomena (which presumably are not uncommon) can tell us a great deal about how identities, ontologies, and subjec-tivities change (or do not) as a consequence of migration. In this paper, I present my plans for forthcoming research on jinn-possession amongst Bangladeshi immigrants in the UK. How does the stigmatization of such beliefs and practices, paralleled by growing Islamophobia among Europeans and the demise of multi-culturalism, shape modern subjectivities, not only of South Asian migrants in Europe, but also of their indigenous European "hosts", and how can such research best be carried out?