Shamanism, History, and the State

by Nicholas Thomas (Editor), Caroline Humphrey (Editor)

The literature on shamanism and related topics is extensive, but has in general been biased toward curing and trance; the political and historical significance of shamanic activities has been largely neglected. The contributors to Shamanism, History, and the State --distinguished anthropologists and historians from England, Australia, and France--show that shamanism is not static and stable, but always changing as a result of political dynamics and historical processes.
Contributors are Tamsyn Barton, Sysan Bayly, Mary Beard, Maurice Bloch, Peter Gow, Roberte N. Hamayon, Stephen Hugh-Jones, Caroline Humphrey, and Nicholas Thomas.
"The importance of this collection lies in the painstaking, many-sided ways in which it shows 'shamanism' to be a multifarious and continuously changing 'dialogue' or interaction with specific, local contexts. . . . Thus, rather than tackling the issue in principle, this collection tries to demonstrate through 'case studies' just how different 'shamanism' becomes if seen through a lens sensitive to history and the influence of institutions, such as the state, which seem far removed from it. I think the demonstrations add up to an impressive force." --Michael Taussig
"This new, ably edited volume provides . . . chapters that are rich in historic detail and that provide insights into general cultural processes and social interactions." -- Historian
Nicholas Thomas is Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow, Department of Prehistory and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra. He is the author of Out of History and Evolution in Anthropological Discourse. Caroline Humphrey, author of Karl Marx Economy, Society and Religion in a Siberian Collective Farm, is Fellow of King's College and Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Héctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting take on the influence of organized spiritual expressions over the power of the State. It's amazing to find a similar development on this subject across very different cultures over the world.

[Roger Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book in the discourse on shamanism because it moves from the classic and static conceptions of shamanism in binary opposition to a "state" and "organized religion advanced by Mircea Eliade. It also importantly contains Peter Gow's influential essay arguing that ritualistic versions of ayahuasca "religion" are the products of colonization and resistance to colonizing efforts rather than a direct "authentic" lineage to ancient indigenous practices. The inclusion of a couple essays on ancient Roman religion feels a bit forced but they ultimately help support the overall argument of the book that more historical attention needs to be given to the subject. That argument remains true more than 20 years after the book's publication.