About the author
Michael Lambek is an anthropologist known for long-term fieldwork on spirit possession, morality, and religious practice in Madagascar and on the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. A professor associated with the University of Toronto, he has written extensively on how communities live alongside ancestor and spirit possession as an ordinary part of social and domestic life, rather than treating it as exotic or pathological. His book Cohabiting with Spirits: The Biography of a Marriage in Mayotte, published by University of Toronto Press, follows this approach, offering an intimate account of a marriage entangled with spirit relationships over time. Lambek's broader scholarship, including earlier studies of possession and knowledge in Mayotte, is regularly cited in the anthropology of religion and Malagasy studies. His work is written for readers interested in ethnography and the anthropology of spirit possession rather than in occult practice itself.
📖 Where to start with Michael Lambek
💬 What our editors say about Michael Lambek's books
“Lambek provides a compelling shift from dramatic possession to intricate cohabitation, yet this book is not for those seeking sensationalist tales of exorcism or quick spiritual fixes. It requires patience for dense ethnographic…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Cohabiting with Spirits: The Biography of a Marriage in Mayotte Lambek, Michael
“Michael Lambek’s ethnography is a rigorous, dense exploration of cohabitation with spirits, demanding patience from readers accustomed to lighter spiritual narratives. It is not suitable for those seeking quick rituals, dramatic…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Cohabiting with Spirits: The Biography of a Marriage in Mayotte Lambek, Michael
