Narrative Voices and Repertoire at a Healing Crossroads in South India

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the strategic performance of narratives in the healing room of a Muslim female healer in south India. Narrative performances by the healer Amma, her husband (and Sufi pir), Abba, and Amma’s patients both establish and distinguish the authorities of Amma and Abba and order and heal the lives of those who come to this healing crossroads. The strategic choices of narrative performance became poignantly clear after Abba’s death, when the nature of Amma’s narratives changed dramatically.