Drugged Subjectivity, Intoxicating Alterity
Anthropology of Consciousness March 2, 2016 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12050 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Kulina Indians in western Brazil |
| Keywords | Appropriation Consciousness Subjectivity Alterity Identity music Indigenous Semiotics Environmental ethics Aesthetics Ethnology Anthropology Ecology Epistemology |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Kulina intoxication is a form of semiotic appropriation of the identity of cosmological others, enhanced by embodying practices such as song and physical movement. |
Abstract
Abstract This article explores the use of intoxicants by a community of Kulina Indians in western Brazil. I suggest that Kulina intoxication through alcohol, tobacco, and ayahuasca is best understood as a form of semiotic appropriation of the identity of cosmological “others,” including animal spirits, creator beings, other Indian groups, and Brazilians. I consider how embodying practices, such as song and physical movement, enhance the experience of being an “alter,” facilitated by the alterations in consciousness produced by intoxicants.