The Mirror & the Skull. The ritual stages of the Bwete Misoko initiation cult (Gabon)
type: Dataset
description: This work describes the ritual stages of Misoko, a corporate group of witch-doctors (nganga) which forms the therapeutic branch of the Bwete initiation cult (Gabon). When afflicted with a witchcraft-related misfortune, individuals undertake a rite of passage, which involves eating the hallucinogenic root barks of eboga in order to get visions. This is the first stage of a long ritual path at the end of which the apprentice will himself be able to initiate other neophytes and practice as a witch-doctor and diviner. To elucidate the logic of initiatory reproduction in Bwete Misoko, the analysis focuses on the frames of interaction and enunciation in which ritual identity is elaborated (going through the ritual stages, learning an initiatory knowledge, mastering the divinatory speech, acquisition of fetish-objects).
issued: 2026-05-12T12:32:47.753182
language: fr
modified: 2026-05-12T12:32:47.753187
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD
keyword: afrique
keyword: ancetres
keyword: culte-therapeutique
keyword: divination
keyword: gabon
keyword: hallucinogenes
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticsdoctoralthesis
keyword: initiation
keyword: rituel
keyword: secret
keyword: shsanthro-sehumanities-and-social-sciencessocial-anthropology-and-ethnology
keyword: sorcellerie
keyword: theses
landing page: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00801512

The Mirror & the Skull. The ritual stages of the Bwete Misoko initiation cult (Gabon)
type: Distribution
format: HTML
issued: 2026-05-12T12:32:47.846939
modified: 2026-05-12T12:32:47.718502
access URL: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00801512

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent