Paper short abstract:

Based on ethnography from Peru, this paper explores understandings of the kharisiris, or those who ‘speak with the devil’, who steal body substances and can convert into an animal. It discusses notions of the kharisiris in relation to personhood and a non-categorical distinction between human and non-human.

Paper long abstract:

This paper reflects on the ethnographic and theoretical significance of the so-called devil contracts in the Andes for understandings of personhood. People who 'speak with the devil' are referred to as kharisiris, and suspected of attacking people by stealing body substances in order to exchange it for money, e.g. with the devil. In contrast to the general importance in the Andes of making offerings to the powerful surroundings in people's attempts to secure well-being and prosperity, the exchanges that the kharisiris make are understood as fundamentally anti-social and harmful. The illnesses caused by kharisiri attacks are often treated with tablets - and thus through a mimicry of biomedical treatment. In some communities, people have also mobilized against the kharisiris to claim justice, demanding that the khariseris should not go unpunished. The kharisiri's status as a person is highly ambiguous, however, being seen as essentially human but with the ability to convert into a dog or snake. While the kharisiris are associated primarily with strangers or mythical characters, there are also cases where kin are suspected. Not only do the cures for kharisiri attacks differ from more traditional forms of healing, but the kharisiris can also escape punishment by converting into an animal. The paper will explore the question of the kharisiris in relation to personhood and a non-categorical distinction between human and non-human, and discuss the understandings of kharisiris in light of the ways in which people respond to the harm they cause.