The holistic and integrated care for mind, body, and spirit carried out by the shepherds has been noted by authors who research and publish from a “secular” perspective.7 Rakotojoelinandrasana notes the recent U.S. psychiatric establishment’s acceptance of the authenticity of “spirit-related disorders,” a growing issue faced by North American medical professionals in their work.8 Then, as exorcism and prayer with the laying on of hands is a central practice of the Fifohazana movement, scholars have begun to explore the practices and worldview that inform them. Hans Austnaberg’s research into the practice of exorcism among the shepherds has made an important contribution to scholars of this movement; in this volume, he shares a piece of that research. Austnaberg’s field research, focused on discerning the shepherds’ understanding of the movement’s principles, practices, and worldview, differs significantly from the work of other Western scholars, which tend to focus on Western analysis and critique, on this movement and traditional exorcism practices in Madagascar.9
As stated previously, the place of women in the movement is a significant issue, particularly as space for women to share leadership in Christian communities on the island remains limited. Women in precolonial Madagascar had a significant role to play in community governance and the leadership of traditional ritual. Largely because of the imposition of European understandings of the divine and the will of the monarchy to impress European visitors, governmental and missionary, and to retain its power, women lost the power and role they had. Through the Fifohazana, women have regained their role, despite the fact that women’s power and leadership opportunities in the churches continue to be strictly bounded. I ask what the future trajectories of these trends might be, as Christians on the island seek to empower women and, thus, empower families and communities.
Two chapters exploring different aspects of the power of orality within the movement follow. Kevin Ogilvie researches the power of oral expression in the life and ministry of the movement.