On this episode, we are speaking with Paul Stoller, an American cultural anthropologist and professor of anthropology at West Chester University. 

Please do not forget to visit www.aacr.org to make a donation or to find helpful information and resources. Together we can make progress in the fight against cancer and bring hope to those who need it most. 

Please don't forget, cancer research saves lives.

For more information visit the AACR and our podcast here: https://www.aacr.org/get-involved/believe-in-progress-an-aacr-foundation-podcast/

This podcast was produced by the awesome people at CollegeCast LLC. Visit www.collegecastpodcasts.com for more information, or to check out our amazing podcasts.

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Paul Stoller received his B.A. in political science at the University of Pittsburgh in 1969. He joined the Peace Corps after graduation. Placed in Niger, he taught English to the Songhay until he left in 1971. In 1974, he earned an MS in sociolinguistics at Georgetown University. In 1978, Stoller obtained his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin with his field research on religious practices among the Songhay in Tillaberi and Mehanna and Wanzerbe in the Republic of Niger and Mali. More specifically, his work has focused on magic, sorcery and spirit possession. 

He has been conducting anthropological research for 30 years. His early work concerned the religion of the Songhay people who live in the Republics of Niger and Mali in West Africa. In that work, he focused primarily on magic, sorcery and spirit possession practices. Since 1992, Stoller has pursued studies of West African immigrants in New York City. Those studies have concerned such topics as the cultural dynamics of informal market economies and the politics of immigration. The results of this ongoing research has led Stoller to the study of the anthropology of religion, visual anthropology, the anthropology of senses and economic anthropology. Stoller's work has resulted in the publication of 11 books, including ethnographies, biographies, memoirs as well as two novels. An essay, "Blogging Bliss," will appear in the December 2013 edition of Anthropology Now. In 2014, Dr. Stoller has a forthcoming book entitled: Yaya's Quest: The Quest for Wellbeing in the World. His work is widely read and recognized. In 1994 he was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2002, the American Anthropological Association named him the recipient of the Robert B Textor Award for Excellence in Anthropology. On April 24, 2013, Dr. Stoller was awarded the Anders Retzius Gold Medal in Anthropology (given once every three years by the King of Sweden. He lectures frequently both in the United States and Europe and has appeared on various NPR programs as well as on the National Geographic Television Network.

After more than 50 years of good health, Paul suddenly found himself diagnosed with lymphoma. The only thing more transformative than his fear and dread of cancer was the place it ultimately took him: 25 years back in time to his days as an apprentice to a West African sorcerer, Adamu Jenitongo.

Paul wrote about these experiences in his book "Stranger in the Village of the Sick: A Memoir of Cancer, Sorcery, and Healing," which follows Paul down this unexpected path toward personal discovery, growth, and healing. The stories in the book are about life in the village of the healthy and the village of the sick, and they highlight differences in how illness is culturally perceived. In America and the West, illness is war; we strive to eradicate it from our bodies and lives. In West Africa, however, illness is an ever-present companion, and sorcerers learn to master illnesses like cancer through a combination of acceptance, pragmatism, and patience.

On this episode (similar to what he does in his book), Paul provides a view into the ancient practices of sorcery, revealing that as an apprentice he learned to read divining shells, mix potions, and recite incantations. But it wasn't until he got cancer that he realized that sorcery embodied a more profound meaning, one that every person could use: "Sorcery is a body of knowledge and practice that enables one to see things clearly and to walk with confidence on the path of fear."

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This is the Believe in Progress podcast hosted by the AACR Foundation and featuring Paul Stoller.

Join us on this journey of hope and progress. Subscribe to Believe in Progress, the AACR Foundation's podcast, today, and be inspired by the incredible stories of those who have faced cancer with strength and resilience, and the medical professionals who are working to find new treatments and ultimately a cure.

Please do not forget to visit www.aacr.org to make a donation or to find helpful information and resources. Together we can make progress in the fight against cancer and bring hope to those who need it most. 

Please don't forget, cancer research saves lives.

For more information visit the AACR and our podcast here: https://www.aacr.org/get-involved/believe-in-progress-an-aacr-foundation-podcast/

This podcast was produced by the awesome people at CollegeCast LLC. Visit www.collegecastpodcasts.com for more information, or to check out our amazing podcasts.