Shamans/neo-Shamans : ecstasy, alternative archaeologies, and contemporary pagans /
Shamans and shamanisms are in vogue at present. In popular culture, such diverse characters as occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison and performance artist Joseph Beuys have been termed shamans. The anthropological construct 'shamanism', on the other hand, has association...
Clasificación: | Libro Electrónico |
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Autor principal: | |
Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
Idioma: | Inglés |
Publicado: |
London ; New York :
Routledge,
2003.
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Temas: | |
Acceso en línea: | Texto completo |
Sumario: | Shamans and shamanisms are in vogue at present. In popular culture, such diverse characters as occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison and performance artist Joseph Beuys have been termed shamans. The anthropological construct 'shamanism', on the other hand, has associations with sorcery, witchcraft and healing, and archaeologists have suggested the meaning of prehistoric cave art lies with shamans and altered consciousness. Robert J. Wallis explores the interface between 'new' (modern western), indigenous and prehistoric shamans, and assesses the implications for archaeologists, anthropologists, indigenous communities, heritage managers, and neo-Shamanic practitioners. Identifying key figures in neo-Shamanisms, including Mircea Eliade, Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner, Wallis assesses the way in which 'traditional' practices have been transformed into 'western' ones, such as Castaneda's Don Juan teachings and Harner's core shamanism. The book draws on interviews and self-reflective insider ethnography with a variety of practitioners, particularly contemporary pagans in Britain and north America from druid and heathen traditions, to elucidate what shamans do.; Wallis looks at historical and archaeological sources to elucidate whether 'Celtic' and 'northern' shamanism may have existed; he explores contemporary pagan engagements with prehistoric sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and discusses the controversial use by neo-Shamans of indigenous (particularly native American) shamanism. Rather than discuss neo-Shamans as inauthentic, invalid culture-stealers, Wallis offers a more detailed and complex appraisal. He makes it clear that scholars must be prepared to give up some of their hold over knowledge, and not only be aware of these neo-Shamanic approaches but also engage in a serious dialogue with such 'alternative' histories. |
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Descripción Física: | 1 online resource (xviii, 306 pages) : illustrations |
Bibliografía: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-293) and index. |
ISBN: | 0203417577 9780203417577 0203419073 9780203419076 1280071370 9781280071379 9780415302029 0415302021 9780415302036 041530203X 9781134416127 1134416121 9781134416073 1134416075 9781134416110 1134416113 |