Africa

United States of America

Adjunct Research Associate

Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois

llgiles66@hotmail.com

Illinois State Museum
Springfield, Illinois
612 N. School St.
Normal, Illinois 61761 USA

phone: (309) 452-8821

Kenya ; Tanzania.

Areas of Specialization: Socio-cultural anthropology & Sub-Saharan
African studies. Major sub-areas: religion and ritual, especially spirit
possession; Sub-Saharan Islamic Africa & Swahili coastal area;
recently involved with African art and artifacts (former Illinois State
University Museum collection), especially Mijikenda ancestor posts;
African art as global commodities, museum studies.

"Spirit Possession and the Symbolic Construction of Swahili Society."
In Behrend, Heike and Ute Luig (eds.) Spirit Possession, Modernity, and
Power. London: James Curry, 1999, pp. 142-164.

"Sociocultural Change and Spirit Possession on the Swahili Coast of East
Africa," Anthropological Quarterly, 68, no. 2 (April 1995), special
issue Possession and Social Change in Eastern Africa, pp. 89-106.

"The Dialectic of Spirit Production: A Cross-cultural Dialogue" (Swahili
& Giriama), Mankind Quarterly, XXIX, no. 3 (Spring 1989), pp.
243-65.

"Possession Cults on the Swahili Coast: A Re-examination of Theories of
Marginality," Africa (Journal of the International African
Institute, London), 57, no. 2 1987), pp. 234-58.

"Spirit Possession on the Swahili Coast: Peripheral Cults or Primary
Texts?" PhD dissertation. University of Texas-Austin, 1989.

Meckstroth, Steve & Linda Giles, in collaboration with Soren Larsen &
Allan Richards. The African Collection: Art and Artifacts at Illinois
State University. A CD-ROM. Normal, Il.: Instructional Technology
Services, Illinois State University, 1996. Final version 2001, copyright
Meckstroth & Giles.
-- Includes individual essay on Mijikenda ancestral memorial posts
(vigango): "For the Ancestors."

ritual ; spirit possession ; Islam ; Swahili ; African arts ; Mijikenda ; museum studies.