«Women, gender, androgynous and hierarchies in Damanhur» in S. Palmisano, N. Pannofino, eds., Damanhur. An Esoteric Community Open to the World

This chapter focuses on women’s life within the Damanhur community. It results from a fieldwork research based on interviews to various women, from the oldest Damanhurianas to more recent entrances in the community. In particular, it analyses the female knowledge of magic and therapeutic healings. The aim of this study is to observe, from the perspective of gender and work assignment, the internal community reinvention along the time and the current reorganization of Damanhur after the founder’s death. The current strong female presence in the field of magic suggests the evolution of a community model often defined as patriarchal. A very central concept of this analysis is the androgynous notion, deeply rooted in Damanhur cosmogony and world’s vision, structuring its gender relations.