Cultural Perspectives on Dreams and Consciousness
Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 1994 DOI: 10.1525/ac.1994.5.3.13 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that a classic folk interpretation of dreams, first noted by Tylor, holds that dreams are the experiences or travels of a soul distinct from the waking ego, and that dreams narrate real things rather than fantasies, which grounds dreaming in a different epistemology than the Western framework. The paper details this interpretation and explores its psychological and philosophical implications. |
Abstract
Anthropological studies of folk cultures have been made not only on the content of their dreams but also on their interpretations. While there is a wide variance in the understanding of dreaming by cultures other than our own, there is a large set which might be called the classic dream interpretation of folk societies, which was first noted by Tylor in the nineteenth century. Its main tenet is that dreams are the experiences or travels of the soul, and that the soul is distinct from the waking ego who recounts the dream. The dream is a narrative about real things, not something of a fantasy nature. This leads to a different epistemological basis of dreaming than the Western framework. This paper details the extent and nature of this interpretation, and explores the psychological and philosophical issues raised by it.