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.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain changes during a shamanic trance: Altered modes of consciousness, hemispheric laterality, and systemic psychobiology A normal subject with extensive training in the Mongolian shamanic tradition | 2017 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions | 2013 | Ethnographic case studies | |
| Transformation in Dang-ki Healing: The Embodied Self and Perceived Legitimacy. A male dang-ki, 10 temple assistants, and 9 clients at a shrine in Singapore | 2016 | Case study | n = 20 |
| (Neo)Shamanic Dialogues Members of a Guarani Indian village on the Atlantic coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil | 2012 | Case study | |
| Kambô: A Shamanic Medicine - Personal Testimonies | 2018 | Case study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- The Double Identities of the Shaman and the Dualistic Attitudes of the State: An Exploration of Contemporary Organizational Shamanism in Northeast China Religions March 28, 2024
- A Cultural Pathway to Addressing Contemporary Mental Illness: Construction and Healing Logic of the “Virtual Illness” Concept in Shamanism in the North of China Religions April 1, 2026
Cites 12
- Altered States of Consciousness Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 1966
- Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science March 1, 2004
- Magico-Religious Practitioner Types and Socioeconomic Conditions Cross-Cultural Research February 1, 1986
- Trends in Contemporary Research on Shamanism Numen 2011
- Shamanism: An Inquiry into the History of the Scholarly Use of the Term in English‐Speaking North America Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2006
and 7 more in the library