| Shamans/Neo-Shamans: Ecstasies, Alternative Archaeologies and Contemporary Pagans Contributor(s): Wallis, Robert J. (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0415302021 ISBN-13: 9780415302029 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $152.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: February 2003 Annotation: Pagan rituals at Stonehenge. Modern day druids and witches. White Americans who claim to be healers in the Native American spiritual tradition. Are these legitimate manifestations of ancient religious practice, or simply a sham? Shamans and Neo-Shamans turns a critical eye to the shamanistic tradition in both antiquity and the modern world, and assesses the interface between the two. Robert J. Wallis does not denounce neo-Shamanistic practitioners outright. Rather, he produces a well-rounded assessment by drawing attention to important issues such as cultural appropriation, historical precedent, and engagement with archaeological monuments. This experiential anthropology, which rejects the colonialist ethnographer's fear of "going native," will answer the question "What has neo-Shamanism have to do with me?" |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Body, Mind & Spirit | Shamanism - Social Science | Archaeology |
| Dewey: 291.144 |
| LCCN: 2002068282 |
| Lexile Measure: 1430 |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6.76" W x 8.94" (1.48 lbs) 336 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - New Age - Religious Orientation - New Age |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In popular culture, such diverse characters as occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison, and performance artist Joseph Beuys have been called shamans. In anthropology, on the other hand, shamanism 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' and prehistoric shamans. The book draws on interviews with a variety of practitioners, particularly contemporary pagans in Britain and north America. Wallis looks at historical and archaeological sources to explore 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. |