Deconstruction of the Trance Model: Historical, Ethnographic, and Contextual Studies of Manchu Shamanism
Religions April 4, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/rel14040496 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Manchu shamans and Manchu shamanic traditions (court, clan, and wild shamanism) |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Argues that Manchu shamans function primarily as sacrificial specialists rather than mental-state adepts, and that Manchu shamanism is a dynamic, reactive, constitutive, and unstable historical process. On this basis the author contends that Eliade's trance model, popularized in shamanism studies, should be deconstructed. |
Abstract
Social trends and historical contexts have popularized Eliade’s trance model in shamanism studies and have contributed to a famous academic debate. A case study on Manchu shamanism conducted in this article shows that a Manchu shaman functions primarily as a sacrificial specialist rather than a mental state adept. Three types of Manchu shamanism—court shamanism, clan shamanism, and wild shamanism—are examined based on historical and ethnographic analyses. This study deconstructs the trance model and demonstrates that shamanism among Manchus has a dynamic, reactive, constitutive, and unstable historical process.