Shamanism: An Introduction

Cannibalism, shamanism, headhunting. These are among a wide variety of practices that have long excited the Western imagination precisely because they are culturally foreign to most of us. Rather than accept outdated and grossly simplified---if not downright inaccurate---representations of "exotic Others," this series of books looks to anthropologists to enrich our understanding of these practices: to de-exoticize the exotic. In Shamanism: An Introduction, social anthropologist Francoise Barbira-Freedman introduces students and nonspecialists alike to those aspects of shamanism that have contributed to its reputation as "exotic" both within anthropology and more generally in the Western public’s perception. In an engaging manner, she integrates recent findings and theoretical developments about shamanism in anthropology and other disciplines. Barbira-Freedman is ideally suited to this task because of her long personal involvement with shamanic practice in the Amazon as well as her academic study of shamanism as a member of Cambridge's anthropology department. Her dual experience enables her to bridge the gap between the popular literature, which has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, and research on shamanism across disciplines, which is still centered in anthropology. The result is a nuanced introduction to a fascinating topic.