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Approaches to Amazonian Magic and Shamanism

Alan R. Sandstrom

Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly September 1, 1987 DOI: 10.1525/ahu.1987.12.3-4.91 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Historical analysis Peer reviewed
Population Aguaruna people of Peru and indigenous peoples in Colombia
Topics Shamanism
Key points The review presents Brown's ethnography as an account of Aguaruna magic and meaning, and Taussig's work as a study of terror and healing in colonial contexts. It highlights how both books explore the cultural and historical dimensions of shamanism in Amazonia.

Abstract

Michael F. Brown. Tsewa's Gift: Magic and Meaning in an Amazonian Society. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1986. 220 pp. $19.95 (cloth).Michael Taussig. Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man:. Study in Terror and Healing. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1987. xix plus 517 pp. $29.95 (cloth).