Bruno Latour’s Beings of Religion
Implicit Religion October 30, 2025 DOI: 10.1558/imre.31422 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Shamanism |
| Keywords | Ceremony Contemplation Religious experience Philosophy of religion Spirituality Transcendence philosophy Epistemology Ontology Relation database |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that Latour's concept of 'beings of religion' provides a useful framework for religious studies, demonstrated through a Latourian analysis of ayahuasca ceremonies. |
Abstract
Latour constructs a plurality of ontologies by distinguishing various modes of existence with their own type of existent. One of these modes of existence is religion, which involves invisible “beings of religion.” Latour criticizes both psychological and (onto)theological interpretations of such beings. He distinguishes between psychogenic beings that constitute the self, and beings of religion that transform the self. Whereas psychogenic beings can be addressed through therapeutic or ritual procedures that can provide cure, beings of religion can be addressed through contemplative practices of prayer, meditation, or ceremony that can transform. This article argues that Latour’s beings of religion may have much potential for religious studies and presents a Latourian description of ayahuasca ceremonies as a case study.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |