Embedded and borrowed subjectivity in the shamanic practices among Quechua from the Central Andes, Peru
Anna Przytomska
Etnografia. Praktyki, Teorie, Doświadczenia December 16, 2024 DOI: 10.26881/etno.2024.10.08 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Quechua people in the central Andes of Peru |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Proposes that Quechua shamanic practices involve two types of shared subjectivity—borrowed and embedded—that demonstrate fluid boundaries between humans and non-humans, defining a relational Andean ontology. |
Abstract
The article explores the concept of “shared subjectivity” in the shamanic practices of the Quechua people in the central Andes of Peru. It reveals the interconnection between humans and non-humans in Quechua shamanic practices, where various ritual objects (stones, coca leaves, guinea pigs, and eggs) play active roles in rituals and in the process of synergistic becoming and building subjectivity. The analysis of these practices allowed for the identification of two different types of shared subjectivity: (1) borrowedsubjectivity (where a person’s essence temporarily transfers to ritual objects for diagnosis and healing); and (2) embedded subjectivity (where non-human agency permanently resides in objects such as power stones). These practices emphasize the fluid boundaries between humans and non-humans, as a foundation for Andean ontology, which can be defined as relational and fluid.
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 |