Towards a Post-colonial Reflection on Shaman and Shamanism as Conceptual Tools in Biblical Studies
Religion and Theology December 10, 2019 DOI: 10.1163/15743012-02603004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that the study of shamanism offers analytical models for explaining extraordinary and anomalous aspects in biblical texts, such as prophecy, divination, healing, exorcism, heavenly journeys, and spirit possession. |
Abstract
The almost complete absence of any reference to the terms shaman and shamanism in Biblical Studies has its roots in the historical prejudice in Western scholarship against them, and originated from colonial ethnocentrism and Christian notions of superiority. However, the shaman, defined as a practitioner who based on the alteration of ordinary consciousness serves a community with particular functions, represents a recognisable pattern in numerous cultural settings while the growth in the multidisciplinary study of shamanism in recent decades shows a growth in one of the oldest patterns of religious activities in human history. The study of shamanism does not only provide a body of comparative research but analytical models for explaining the most extraordinary and anomalous aspects found also in biblical texts, namely, prophesy, divination, healing and exorcism as well as heavenly journeys and spirit possession.