Jinn Eviction as a Discourse of Power

This book is intended to construct a basis for the understanding of the rites and practices associated with exorcism, or jinn eviction as it is performed within the maraboutic institution called zawiya. Jinn eviction as it occurs in the maraboutic institution reproduces ideologies and social hierarchies of traditional society through the use of a variety of healing symbols and rituals. These symbols are delved into for the benefit of understanding the perennial cultural foundations of the discourse and practice of power in Morocco. The result is an ethnography of possession that has combined meticulous ethnographic field work with critical discourse analysis.

Mohammed Maarouf, Doctorat d' État / Ph.D. (2004) in Literature, is Professor of Literary and Cultural Studies at Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco. He is a researcher in anthropology. He has conducted researches on Moroccan culture, some of which were published in the form of articles and others were presented as papers at international conferences.

'[T]he book is very well done and is an important addition to the fields of medical anthropology, mental health, and psychiatry. It also adds significantly to our understanding of Middle Eastern religion, culture, history, and politics.' Bill Ward in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 24.4