{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.018140589569160998, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 4.926174496644295, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
“Movable feast of signs”: gender in zar in central sudan

ABSTRACT Burei and tombura, two widespread forms of spirit possession found in Central Sudan, have many common characteristics and are both based on a belief in a particular type of spirit, known as zar. Popularly they are distinguished primarily by gender: burei is female, tombura is male. This distinction refers not only to the relatively greater involvement of men in tombura history and practice, but also to the public perceptions of differences between the two groups. This paper focuses on the interpretation of gender in specific ritual objects in zar burei and tombura and shows that in practice the markers of gender are neither fixed nor rigid. They may be variously interpreted or negotiated by participants in zar, while through trance and the rituals of possession they are often reversed and/or transformed.