Divination and Customary Justice on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

• This paper focuses on divination and customary justice on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. By using a case study among the Miskitu people as example, it looks at how supposed witches are detected and how innocence or guilt is established in witchcraft cases. It is shown that divination plays an important role in the customary judicial process, as divination creates the conditions for the settling of communal disputes. It is further shown that communication with the spirit world is essential in the divinatory process. Overall, divination has an important role to play when bridging the gap between state legality and local norms and practices.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialantropologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Anthropology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Divination

Customary justice

Witchcraft

Caribbean coast of Nicaragua

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)