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An Introduction to Shamanism

Paperback

Published: June 2009
Ships: 7 to 10 business days
RRP $54.95
$52.40

Shamans are an integral part of communal religious traditions, professionals who make use of personal supernatural experiences, especially trance, as a resource for the wider community's physical and spiritual well-being. This Introduction surveys research on the topic of shamanism around the world, detailing the archaeology and earliest development of shamanic traditions as well as their scientific 'discovery' in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth century colonization in Siberia, the Americas, and Asia. It explores the beliefs and rituals typical of shamanic traditions, as well as the roles of shamans within their communities. It also surveys the variety of techniques used by shamans cross-culturally, including music, entheogens, material culture and verbal performance. The final chapters examine attempts to suppress or eradicate shamanic traditions, the revitalization of shamanism in postcolonial situations, and the development of new forms of shamanism within new cultural and social contexts.

"DuBois provides a superlative account of this complex topic." ---Choice

Preface
Introductions
Shamanism and the issue of religion
A history of shamanic encounters
Shamanism in archaeological evidence
Shamanic Soteriology and Ritual
Cosmology and the work of the shaman
The call and initiation
Mediating the spirit world: shamanic roles and careers
Examining Ritual Effectiveness
S_ance, trance and the shamanic mind
Shamans, clients, and healing
The Shamanic Arsenal
Music and entheogens: pathways to ecstasy
The material culture of shamanism
Shamanic verbal art
Shamanic Politics in a Changing World
Shamanism under attack
Shamanic revitalizations
Neoshamanism
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9780521695367
ISBN-10: 0521695368
Series: Introduction to Religion
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 330
Published: June 2009
Dimensions (cm): 22.8 x 15.4  x 1.7
Weight (kg): 0.534