The body electric:The shamanic spirit in twentieth century music
Michael Tucker
Contemporary Music Review 1996 DOI: 10.1080/07494469600640171 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that shamanism, with its emphasis on altered consciousness, offers archetypal visionary insight into the psyche and closely resembles the Jungian notion of individuation. Contends that jazz shares much with shamanic experience and that Jan Garbarek's pan-tonal and pan-rhythmic music exemplifies the healing presence of the shamanic or individuated spirit in twentieth-century music. |
Abstract
Recently there has been a strong revival of interest in the phenomenon of shamanism — the pre-Judæo-Christian, nature-based religion of ecstatic states of mind described by Mircea Eliade in Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. With its emphasis upon altered consciousness, shamanism offers archetypal visionary insight concerning the nature of the psyche. It has come to be seen to have much in common with the key Jungian notion of individuation or fully developed and integrated consciousness. Following consideration of shamanic musicality within so-called traditional cultures this century (Tuva, Saamiland and Native America) various aspects of twentieth century Western music, including both Art and Pop music, are examined in the light of shamanic ideas. It is argued that Jazz, in particular, has much in common with shamanic experience. In conclusion, the pan-tonal and pan-rhythmic music of Norwegian saxophonist / composer Jan Garbarek is examined as exemplifying the healing presence of the shamanic — or individuated — spirit in twentieth century music.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |