My Grandmother Drank the Qur'an: Liquid Readings and Permeable Bodies in Bosnia

Starting with a curious childhood memory, the author considers practices of imbibing – or otherwise transforming and internalising sacred texts as modes reading in their own right. At heart argument is call for receptive apprehension reading, open to worlds beyond substance dualism detachment text meaning residing therein. Kaleidoscopic autobiographical elements merge extend through variety transmutational, syncretic practices, such rituals ‘erasure’ (e.g. kombe) across African continent, magical inscriptions ( zapisi) ritual ‘horror pouring’ salivanje strave) Bosnia. Water appears particularly efficacious agent, flowing between humans more-than-humans connecting different bodies, religions, forms knowledge. Noticing that recurring motif healing, wonders if drinking might be remedy against political ontology inter-corporeal distance. A radically intimate engagement text, it suggested, requires kind trust allows permeability an always-potential openness, new sort liquid critical reading.