Política y drama en el trance de posesión en Argentina^*

The autor argues, using the dramaturgical perspective developed by Erving Goffman, that a successful presentation of self underlies claims that a medium is possessed by a spirit. His performance will be carefully scrutinized by other mediums and members of the audience and the reality of his possession will be validated or denied. The paper analyzes a level of social reality which is frequently ignored in possession studies: that of performance in specific social situations. Rather than considering how biology, sociology, society or culture constitute or influence trance, the author examines how the trance experience is constituted and validated in face-to-face interaction.