REL 20.06 Shamanism: The Agony and the Ecstasy
Shamans are those who communicate with spirits. Or are they? In this course, we unpack various definitions of shamanism and the vigorous debate over this term (the agony). We consider the history of shamanism as a concept, looking at key theories and scholars. We explore shamanism around the world, drawing on scholarship, ethnographies, and lived experience of shamanic practices (the ecstasy). We delve into considerations of gender, medicine, colonialism and indigeneity.