Shamanism
An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture [2 volumes]
Published on 15. December 2004
Book
978-1-57607-645-3 (ISBN)
Description
A guide to worldwide shamanism and shamanistic practices, emphasizing historical and current cultural adaptations.
This two-volume reference is the first international survey of shamanistic beliefs from prehistory to the present day. In nearly 200 detailed, readable entries, leading ethnographers, psychologists, archaeologists, historians, and scholars of religion and folk literature explain the general principles of shamanism as well as the details of widely varied practices.
What is it like to be a shaman? Entries describe, region by region, the traits, such as sicknesses and dreams, that mark a person as a shaman, as well as the training undertaken by initiates. They detail the costumes, music, rituals, artifacts, and drugs that shamans use to achieve altered states of consciousness, communicate with spirits, travel in the spirit world, and retrieve souls. Unlike most Western books on shamanism, which focus narrowly on the individual's experience of healing and trance, Shamanism also examines the function of shamanism in society from social, political, and historical perspectives and identifies the ancient, continuous thread that connects shamanistic beliefs and rituals across cultures and millennia.
This two-volume reference is the first international survey of shamanistic beliefs from prehistory to the present day. In nearly 200 detailed, readable entries, leading ethnographers, psychologists, archaeologists, historians, and scholars of religion and folk literature explain the general principles of shamanism as well as the details of widely varied practices.
What is it like to be a shaman? Entries describe, region by region, the traits, such as sicknesses and dreams, that mark a person as a shaman, as well as the training undertaken by initiates. They detail the costumes, music, rituals, artifacts, and drugs that shamans use to achieve altered states of consciousness, communicate with spirits, travel in the spirit world, and retrieve souls. Unlike most Western books on shamanism, which focus narrowly on the individual's experience of healing and trance, Shamanism also examines the function of shamanism in society from social, political, and historical perspectives and identifies the ancient, continuous thread that connects shamanistic beliefs and rituals across cultures and millennia.
Reviews / Votes
More than a reference tool, this is a useful compendium on a topic that has been fairly inaccessible, especially to nonscholars . . . Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries where there is interest in the topic. * Library Journal * The quality of the resource is obvious . . . recommended highly for academic libraries. * American Reference Books Annual * [A] fascinating and scholarly work . . . Academic libraries in institutions with religious curricula will want at least one copy. Larger public libraries will need this, too. * Booklist * This is clearly, interestingly, and authoritatively written. Highly recommended. * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 7 to 17 years
Illustrations
87 bw illus
Weight
2296 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-57607-645-3 (9781576076453)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Mariko Namba Walter | Eva Jane Neumann Fridman
Shamanism
An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture [2 Volumes]
E-Book
12/2004
1st Edition
ABC-CLIO
€184.99
Available for download
Persons
Mariko Namba Walter is a visiting professor at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, and teaches on shamanism and Asian religions.
Eva Jane Neumann Fridman is a practicing psychotherapist and anthropologist and teaches on shamanism at Brown University, Providence, RI.
Eva Jane Neumann Fridman is a practicing psychotherapist and anthropologist and teaches on shamanism at Brown University, Providence, RI.