Aparecida Vilaça “Chronically Unstable Bodies”

Concepts of the soul and body are very clearly defined and separate within the framework of Western culture; however, this is not universally the case as can be seen in this piece by Aparecida Vilaça.Vilaça delivers anecdotal evidence to the contrary, showing how the concept of a double (the result of the soul detaching itself from the body and taking the form of something else, often times an animal) exists within an indigenous Amazonian community. This distinction is often accompanied with the words “jam”, “kweri”, and “shaman”; terminology used to describe concepts that don’t have an exact translation in English because no equivalent concept exists within the Western sphere. Based on the case study examined in this article,Vilaça demonstrates the fluidity capable of the human body and spirit, and in doing so, models the culture/nature divide as a fluid boundary, too. Where does the body end and the soul begin?Vilaça’s narrative invites the reader to think of the culture/nature concept as a recursive phenomenon by setting up parallels that demonstrate how culture defines nature, yet also exists within nature. The variation in these concepts across global boundaries reflects the complexity of ways that humans interact with, and simultaneously consider themselves a part of, their environment.