In this fascinating interview, we explore the intricate relationship between time, tradition, and healing in Southern Italy with Dr. Giovanna Parmigiani of Harvard Divinity School, discussing her book The Spider Dance: Tradition, Time, and Healing in Southern Italy. Based on extensive ethnographic research among contemporary Pagan communities in Salento, Apulia, Parmigiani sheds light on the enduring power of pizzica—a traditional dance and musical form historically linked to tarantismo, a ritual healing phenomenon believed to be triggered by the bite of a tarantula spider.
Tarantismo, which persisted for centuries and predominantly affected women, was once considered a form of possession or physical malaise, cured through an ecstatic interplay of music and movement. Though the phenomenon seemingly vanished by the mid-20th century, its spirit has resurfaced in neotarantismi—modern reinterpretations of the ritual that bridge folk traditions with contemporary Paganism, magic, and alternative healing.
Through this discussion, we delve into the spiritual and esoteric dimensions of neotarantismo, its role in shaping alternative historicities, and its significance within modern Pagan movements. What does this revival tell us about the fluid nature of religious traditions, embodiment, and well-being? How does pizzica function as a liminal space between past and present, folklore and spirituality?
Join us for this fantastic interview on music, trance, and the revival of Southern Italy’s magical traditions.
ABOUT OUR GUEST: Giovanna Parmigiani is an anthropologist working on magic, contemporary Paganisms, and alternative spiritualities. She is a Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, a Research Associate at Harvard’s CSWR, a co-chair of the Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit at the American Academy of Religion, and the host of the online series Gnoseologies.
Website: https://www.giovannaparmigiani.com/
BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/3CYNHka
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00:00:00 Introduction: Meet Dr Parmigiani
00:03:05 What is Taranta and Tarantismo
00:06:00 The Dance Pizzica as a Spiritual Healing Practice
00:10:34 Dr Giovana Parmiagiani’s PhD research and embrace of Paganism
00:17:44 How the Dance Pizzica works Musically.
00:22:00 Is Tanrata an open practice?
00:23:38 Pizzica as a Means to Enter Trance and Altered States
00:29:25 Is Taranta Witchcraft, Shamanism or Magic?
00:31:30 Can Non-Pagans embrace Taranta?
00:34:20 Pizzica, Tarantela and Spirits of Place
00:38:11 Is Pizzica Transcultural as well as Open?
00:41:28 Dr Parmiagiani’s Students in the Chat
00:48:48 Ethnographer Ernesto de Martino’s Work on Tarantismo
00:54:54 Historical Aspects of Tarantismo
01:00:53 Southern Italians as backward and Indigenous
01:06:20 Men and Pizzica Dancing as a Spiritual Practice
01:11:36 Dr Parmigiani’s Book “The Spider Dance”
01:15:06 Support Angela’s Symposium
️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ️
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Published on February 24, 2025
