Shamanism: Traditional and Contemporary Approaches to the Mastery of Spirits and Healing (Anthropology & Sociology) [Hardcover]

Merete Demant Jakobsen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1571819940 | ISBN-13: 978-1571819949 | Publication Date: March 1999

Shamanism has always been of great interest to anthropologists. More recently it has been "discovered" by westerners, especially New Age followers. This book breaks new ground byexamining pristine shamanism in Greenland, among people contacted late by Western missionaries and settlers. On the basis of material only available in Danish, and presented herein English for the first time, the author questions Mircea Eliade's well-known definition of the shaman as the master of ecstasy and suggests that his role has to be seen as that of a master of spirits. The ambivalent nature of the shaman and the spirit world in the tough Arctic environment is then contrasted with the more benign attitude to shamanism in the New Age movement. After presenting descriptions of their organizations and accounts by participants, the author critically analyses the role of neo-shamanic courses and concludes that it is doubtful to consider what isoffered as shamanism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is clearly written, and contains some wonderfully vivid quotations from texts that have never previously appeared in English ... Much valuable and suggestive material ... of value to scholars and students." * ETHNOS "This is a most useful book in the present discourse on shamanism, for it is one in which a specialist in traditional or classical shamanism who is also familiar with New Age shamanism compares the two complexes ... highly recommendable." * SHAMANISM "The volume is highly to be recommended tot he specialist and to the interested layperson alike." * Religious Studies Review "Valuable ... worth reading." * American Anthropologist "Jakobsen's analysis of traditional and contemporary forms of shamanism provide an important contribution to studies in this specialised type of religious experience. She confirms the view of many scholars, such as the Alaskan anthropologist Wendell Oswalt, that the central feature of shamanism is 'spirit control' while at the same time demonstrating its growing importance in contemporary Western urban settings. In my view, this book should be included among the core resources for those interested in the study of indigenous religions and how they persist in new and innovative ways in modern societies." * De Numine "Jakobsen's book is a valuable addition to a discussion of shamanism." * Amazon.com

About the Author

Born in Copenhagen, Merete Demant Jakobsen has taught in Denmark, Britain, and Alaska. Having worked on shamanism in ethnography and literature for her Danish degrees, she completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford in anthropology. She is currently researching negative spiritual experiences at the Religious Experience Research Centre, Westminster College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berghahn Books (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571819940
• ISBN-13: 978-1571819949
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave Hanson's Review Says It Well, December 28, 2008

By 

Nicholas Noble Wolf (Durango, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shamanism: Traditional and Contemporary Approaches to the Mastery of Spirits and Healing (Anthropology & Sociology) (Hardcover)

After reading Dave Hanson's review, I found I had little to offer that wasn't already covered other than to add two more stars. This book covers, through extensive research, what so many traditionals have been saying for years: there is little similarity between real shamanism and neoshamanistic practices offered by the followers of Harnerism.

True shamanism is neither pretty nor fun. It is a path that one is forced upon by the spirits and ancestors, not one that a person seeks for fame and fortune. It involves deadly encounters with spiritual beings that some do not survive. It requires a shattering, not just of the psyche, but of the very soul of the shaman.

Enough said. This book will give you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with real shamanism and its difference from the likes of Harnerism. This is not intended to be a criticism of Harnerism, but to intend that such is not shamanism.