Medicines and the embodiment of substances among Pogoro Catholics, southern Tanzania

Journal/Book: J Roy Anthropol Inst. 1996; 2: 50 Fitzroy Street, London, England W1P 5HS. Royal Anthropological Inst. 485-498.

Abstract: Anthropological theories of embodiment which assume that the human body is mainly an agent of representation tend to overlook the significance of actual practices dealing explicitly with the body. Among Pogoro Catholics, such practices involve the use of substances classified as medicines which are potentially able to transform people's physical states. The transformative powers of Pogoro medicines do not derive from their symbolic properties, but from the specific social conditions governing their manufacture and consumption. Pogoro people's concern with the body is a concern with the incorporation of substances and not with the inscription of representations. The article concludes that the human body is not a transcultural symbol interpretable independently of ideas about the constitution of persons.

Note: Article M Green, Univ Manchester, Dept Social Anthropol, Roscoe Bldg, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs, England

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