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Divine Madness and Cultural Otherness: Diwnas and Faqrs in Northern Pakistan

Museum of Ethnology, Munich, Germany

This article portrays several little-known examples of unusual and eccentric individuals embodying different forms of divine ‘madness’ and representing cultural otherness among local people in the high mountain areas of Northern Pakistan. The precise position of these men as more or less ‘holy’ (diwna and faqr) or simply ‘crazy’ (pgal) remains evidently contested. The article argues that ultimately, through their marginal state, the various forms of divine madmen can be seen to embody the potency of disorder in a local Islamic environment as a necessary element and completion of an all-encompassing divine order.

Key Words: diwna • faqr • Gilgit • holy fool • Hunza • Islamic mysticism • Nager • Pakistan

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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Frembgen, J. W. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?