Dispossession, repossession and being possessed

Affinity, Diaspora, Identity, Reunification, Return (Part #7)

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Being possessed: The sense of possession is also experienced through that of "being possessed" in various ways, even when this is only recognized or claimed by others. Possibilities include:

• possession by an idea or belief, most notably as deplored as characteristic of sects and other groups -- and addressed by processes of deprogramming
• possession by a mission or sense of destiny, possibly as a consequence of membership of a sect or other group
• possession by another person, as is held to be questionable in certain relationships of which the most exreme are the variants of slavery, involuntary servitude, or debt bondage
• possession by a contractual relationship, as may be recognized in certain forms of commercial agreement, notably those designed to ensure vendor lock-in (proprietary lock-in, customer lock-in), whereby a customer is made dependent on a vendor for products and services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs.
• possession by the state through statutory obligations

Extreme forms of possession are recognized in the form of:

• obsession with an idea or belief, notably characteristic of paranoia (Transforming from Paranoia through Metanoia and Hyponoia? 2013)
• possession of a habit, especially in the form of an addiction, perhaps characterized as vicious cycles
• processes aimed at winning the hearts and minds of opponents rather than seeking to defeat them by force. Possession is then achieved by ensuring conviction and conversion.
• metaphorically through having "sold one's soul", or being possessed by the "soul" of another
• demonic possession, as addressed through processes of exorcism

Dispossession: This is widely recognized with respect to tangible property, notably:

• dispossession through military occupation, of which historical and current instances are indicated by Wikipedia, most notably the occupations by Israel ( Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank and East Jerusalem)
• dispossession of traditional lands (and fishing areas), as in the historical (and ongoing) dramas with respect to indigenous peoples
• dispossession of housing, as so dramatically highlighted by its repossession in the case of the sub-prime mortgage crisis
• dispossession of property consequent on the break-up of marital relationships and partnerships, possibly including children
• disposession of cultural heritage, notably ritual artefacts and ancestral remains
• dispossession of legal heritage
• dispossession of genetic heritage, as this might be understood through the patenting of the genes of certain populations
• stripping the land of tree cover and species associated with biodiversity and traditional livelihoods, and the equivalent with respect to fishing areas -- possibly compounded by its contamination by the dumping of waste

Disposession may take subtler form, less readily recognizable, through:

• dispossession of dignity, as a consequence of some relationships, most notably as a consequence of sexual aggression, enhanced interrogation, but evident (with advancing age) in the dependency on more intense forms of care
• dispossession of identity, most notably in the case of electronic identity theft, but more radically through brainwashing and re-education
• stripping of honours, rank, office, or privileges
• social alienation and dissociation
• the process of deprogramming

Both posession and dispossesion may be of fundamental existential significance, even actively sought as part of any "retirement from the world" characteristic of the monastic quest.

Repossession: Again this is most evident in the case of tangible property, and especially as a consequence of any failure to "keep up the payments" by which it was acquired -- as with the extent of repossession resulting from the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It is more dramatically evident as a consequence of disputes regarding traditional rights to the land and its governance -- as exemplified in the ongoing dispute between Israel and Palestine. It is further complicated by historical assumptions resulting in processes of forced assimilation, featuring those of dispossession (noted above), and exemplified by Americanization (of Native Americans), ethnocide, forced conversion, linguicide, and the stolen generation (of Australia).

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