Trance and shamanism: what's in a name?
E Bourguignon
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1989 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.1989.10472138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Argues that anthropologists' definitions and typologies of "trance" and "shamanism" vary widely—from narrow to broad, typological to continuum-based, and traditional to Western applications—which complicates cross-cultural hypothesis testing. The concept of control, with its varied meanings, emerges as a significant variable in comparative study of these terms. |
Abstract
This article considers the implications of the definitions and typologies of trance and shamanism for the development and testing of cross-cultural hypotheses through a review of definitions, typologies, and use of key terms and related concepts in anthropology. Authors vary widely in their definitions and applications of terms: some uses are based on reasoned criteria, others on traditional practice; some establish typologies, others prefer continua. Classifications range from narrow and highly specific to broad and inclusive coverage. Some restrict the usage to traditional societies, while others seek applications to Western phenomena, whether faith healers and mediums, or poets, such as Walt Whitman. The concept of control, with a variety of meanings assigned to it, emerges as a significant variable in the comparative study of "trance" and "shamanism" as these terms are used by different authors in widely different manners.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallucinogenic Drugs and Plants in Psychotherapy and Shamanism | 1998 | Review | |
| Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in Mexico: An Overview | 2008 | Review | |
| Healing, spirituality and integrative medicine. | 2017 | Review | |
| Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions | 2019 | Review | |
| The Evolved Psychology of Psychedelic Set and Setting: Inferences Regarding the Roles of Shamanism and Entheogenic Ecopsychology | 2021 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- The Exorcising Sounds of Warfare: The Performance of Shamanic Healing and the Struggle to Remain Mapuche Anthropology of Consciousness June 1, 1998
- Erika Bourguignon: A Portrait of the Anthropology of Consciousness Anthropology of Consciousness June 1, 1999
- Trance, posture, and tobacco in the Casas Grandes shamanic tradition: Altered states of consciousness and the interaction effects of behavioral variables Anthropology of Consciousness November 8, 2023
- Biographical similarities between spiritual healers and their clients in Germany - a qualitative study. Anthropology & medicine 2015