Description
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In Vietnam, the o M u is a folk religion without the necessity of theology, ethics, a structured organization, and formal membership requirements. Its focus is on ritual performed to secure the support of the spirits to gain good fortune, health, or wealth. This book has sought to understand through personal interviews and participant observations the lifeworld of o M u women especially those called to be ng and ng th y. How does the practice of o M u affect their lives, and become a source of empowerment to help them better cope with the problems of everyday lives? This empowering effect is at once the source of the happiness of these women, and the reason for this religious persistence as a vital force in Vietnamese society. It comes from involvement with other women and the development of networks of encouragement and support - a sisterhood, coming through spirit possession during the lên ng ritual ceremony. The lifeworld of o M u women, imbued with ceremony, is a world of obligations. Each individual is a nexus of obligations that produce and are reproduced through ritual processes.
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Vu, Tu Anh Thi
Dr Vu is Deputy Director General, Secondary Education Department and Executive Director, National Foreign Languages 2020 Project, Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam. Vu earned an MA in Cultural Anthropology, an MA in Education (Policy in Higher Education) and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States.
