The Landscapes of Ayahuasca in Contemporary France

The chapter examines contemporary ritual experiences with the Amazonian drink ayahuasca in urban Brazil and Europe, particularly France. It problematizes the relationship between modern modes of subjectification induced by these experiences and the French State's legal stance on ayahuasca. The analysis engages with the State's unique concept of "cultic deviance" as applied to ayahuasca practices. Drawing from the author's doctoral research in psychology, the work explores how ayahuasca rituals interact with state regulation and cultural perceptions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter is inspired by some of the questions raised in my doctoral dissertation in psychology about contemporary ritual experiences with the Amazonian drink, ayahuasca, in urban areas in Brazil as well as Europe, especially France. Here, our purpose is to problematize the relations between the contemporary world, the new modes of subjectification that these experiences induce, and the French State's position and legislation on ayahuasca and the practices associated with its use in France, in dialog with the singular idea of "cultic deviance" that the State has invented.