Spirituality, Drugs, and Tourism: Tourists' and Shamans' Experiences of Ayahuasca in Iquitos, Peru
Girish Prayag, Paolo Mura, Colin Michael Hall, Julien Fontaine
November 5, 2024 DOI: 10.4324/9781003531517-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Micro-ethnography |
|---|---|
| Population | Tourists and shamans involved in ayahuasca tourism in Iquitos, Peru |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Duration | One month of immersion |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Shamanism |
| Keywords | Spirituality Tourism Traditional medicine Anthropology Archaeology Alternative medicine |
| Key findings | Tourists' encounters with ayahuasca were perceived as spiritual due to better understanding and perception of 'self' and 'others', while shamans' encounters with tourists were mostly positive but negative consequences on their practices were evident. |
Abstract
This study critically evaluates the complex inter space of spirituality, drugs, and tourism through tourists’ and shamans’ accounts of ayahuasca tourism in Iquitos, Peru. Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage traditionally consumed for spiritual and health purposes. Using micro-ethnography, one of the researchers was immersed for one month in the tourism experience of ayahuasca. The findings reveal the ambivalent nature of tourists’ experiences and the changing meaning and practices of ayahuasca. Tourists’ encounters with ayahuasca were perceived as spiritual due to better understanding and perception of ‘self’ and ‘others’. Shamans’ encounters with tourists were mostly positive but negative consequences on their practices were evident. The study highlights issues of fluidity, positionality, and self-identification of roles in tourism.