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Journeys into the Invisible: Shamanic Technologies of the Imagination
A lively exploration of the Indigenous traditions of shamanism in the Far North of Eurasia and North America.
In this book, Charles Stépanoff draws on ethnographic literature and his fieldwork in Siberia to reveal the immense contribution to human imagination made by shamans and the cognitive techniques they developed over the centuries.
Indigenous shamans are certain men and women who are able to travel in spirit in ways that appear mysterious to Westerners but which rely on the human capacity of imagination. They perceive themselves simultaneously in two types of space—one visible, the other virtual—putting them in contact and establishing links with nonhuman beings in their surroundings. Shamans share their experience of spirit travel with their patients, families, or the wider community, allowing them to experience this odyssey through the invisible together.
This work will appeal to anthropologists and to anyone with an interest in learning about the power of imagination from the masters of the invisible, the shamans of the Far North.
In this book, Charles Stépanoff draws on ethnographic literature and his fieldwork in Siberia to reveal the immense contribution to human imagination made by shamans and the cognitive techniques they developed over the centuries.
Indigenous shamans are certain men and women who are able to travel in spirit in ways that appear mysterious to Westerners but which rely on the human capacity of imagination. They perceive themselves simultaneously in two types of space—one visible, the other virtual—putting them in contact and establishing links with nonhuman beings in their surroundings. Shamans share their experience of spirit travel with their patients, families, or the wider community, allowing them to experience this odyssey through the invisible together.
This work will appeal to anthropologists and to anyone with an interest in learning about the power of imagination from the masters of the invisible, the shamans of the Far North.
- GenresNonfictionAnthropology
434 pages, Paperback
Published May 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 1, 2025
Une étude riche et très intéressante des pratiques chamaniques chez les peuples sibériens. J'ai particulièrement apprécié les explications données dans la première partie sur les différences entre tente sombre et tente claire, entre chamanisme hétérarchique et chamanisme hiérarchique. La troisième partie sur l'évolution historique et le passage d'une pratique hétérarchique à une pratique hiérarchique plus répandue est également passionnant.
March 31, 2026
Comprendre le chamanisme est bien plus complexe qu’un livre de 400 pages par contre avoir une base dans la manière que les chamanes de Russie vivent le voyage invisible et dans l’imaginaire est super intéressant. Je crois que de faire le lien entre les pratiques de tente sombre, tente claire ou bien de tambour avec la manière que le monde fonctionne est tellement intéressante. Trop de truc à dire sur ce livre et ses connaissances sont si intéressante
June 30, 2023
Le dernier chapitre sur la hiérarchie dans les pratiques chamaniques est fascinant
October 25, 2019
Really like this book...A must read for all....
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews