This article focuses on the connection between the refusal of the shamanic vocation and its hereditary transference with lhaba and lhamo – shamanic religious specialists who embody deities known as lha during organized ritual séances. Drawing on ethnographic material collected from the Brogpa community in Ladakh, India, I examine the nature of lha as a presence deeply woven into social and...
Background.The article addresses the problem of the genesis of stage action and considers shamanic ritual as one of the early cultural forms in which the basic mechanisms of theatricality emerge. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that, in contemporary cultural studies and theatre studies, the relationship between ritual and theatre remains methodologically significant, while...
Approximately five years after the Choi Soon-sil Gate in 2016, shamanic practices again attracted intense public attention in relation to politics. During the campaign for the 20th presidential election of the Republic of Korea (March 9, 2022), allegations concerning shamanic connections were raised against then-candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, which led to a steady proliferation of shamanic...
This study analyzes the folk tale Magical Ruler for Healing and Saving Lives from a shamanic perspective to identify the factors behind its enduring transmission and its structural characteristics. The core elements of the tale are deeply intertwined with the shamanic worldview. The ruler or stick is not merely a measurement tool but serves as a spiritual bridge—an axis mundi—that connects...
The robes unearthed from Tomb No. 1 at Mashan, Jingzhou, serve as typical representative artifacts of the ancient Chu state. Existing academic research has predominantly focused on the textile technology and stylistic evolution of these robes, yet the shamanic symbolism implied in their decorative patterns has long been insufficiently explored. To fill this research gap, this study adopts a...
This article explores the structural paradox of the byeong-gut (Korean shamanic healing ritual): why it adheres to the rigid and canonical format of the jaesu-gut (shamanic blessing ritual) instead of adopting a specialized clinical procedure. Critiquing the instrumental trap of previous scholarship that reduces shamanic healing to psychological comfort or social liberation, this study proposes...
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of Dolgan churchyards as a unique cultural space. It enables us to identify key features of material culture, to examine the mechanisms of religious syncretism and their connection with ethnic traditions, and to assess the significance of these sites for understanding the history of wooden architecture in the Arctic region. The research is based on a...
Abstract Background and Aims Music has been associated with psychedelic experiences throughout human history, from ancient shamanic healing rituals to contemporary psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), and is considered integral for positive therapeutic outcomes. Yet optimized protocols and best practice standards for the use of music in PAT are lacking. Methods This interdisciplinary literature...
World AffairsJune 1, 2026Riccardo Pelizzo, Nygmetzhan Kuzenbayev
ABSTRACT: This paper examines how traditional beliefs and practices influence trust in government in Kazakhstan. The country—and the Central Asian region more broadly—has a long and well‐documented history of traditional beliefs, traditional knowledge, and shamanic practices, which makes it an ideal setting to assess whether these cultural legacies continue to shape contemporary political...
This article analyzes the system of characters in Uzbek shamanic legends from the perspective of folklore studies. The main characters found in shamanic legends – such as shamans, spirits, ancestors, natural forces, and mythological beings – are examined in terms of their literary and semantic features. The study also explains the close connection between these characters and the ancient...