Shamanism In Anthropology In The Twentieth Century

Shamanism

Shamanism in Anthropology has been an entity in a constant metamorphosis. It has always been considered exotic and its existence around the globe was never contradicted. However, over the years it did not receive the scholarly attention that it so requires. The age of discovery garnered a multitude of information on shamanism all over the world. The reporters invested a great deal of accuracy in the gathering of the information, but their observational skills were mostly underdeveloped. Furthermore as could be expected, they saw and evaluated things solely on the basis of European religion and social customs
(Flaherty, 1992, pp.3) without having it necessary to view its ramifications to the people who are so imbued by it.
He goes on by stating that any society where shamanism is rampant as being in a sense anomic. Thus it is quite obvious that shamans were viewed as social and psychological misfits.

So far we have seen how shamanism was viewed in the earlier part and even in the mid twentieth century. The anthropological literature that dominated that period links shamanism to mental disorder and a distinction is also made between possession and shamanism. As a result of these assumptions a negative definition of shamanism is created. Thus, during this period the definition of shamanism can best be described as phenomena practised by mentally disturbed people in trying to make sense of the world.

Now as time progressed especially in the early seventies new ideologies contradicting early and mid twentieth century definitions of shamanism emerged.
Some of these new concepts were upheld by Lewis who refuted many of the earlier works on the basis that the empirical evidence present did not support their theories. Previously we have mentioned that according to Eliade and de Heusch spirit possession and shamanism were two distinct elements and
It was objective and intelligently critical. Furthermore the definition of shamanism was transformed and it did not include psychopathological notions rampant in the early part of the twentieth century.

Shamanism holds a great fascination for the western imagination that much continues to be written about it. This overflow of information has however, given rise to a number of methodological problems (Flaherty, 1992,pp.208).
Shamanism has become some what over-sensationalized that it has become hard to distinguish fact from fiction. There has also been little historical accountability. Most writers uncritically create their own profiles of the shaman from literature that was published long before their time (Flaherty, pp.212). They do so without having it necessary to think about the external pressures that shamansim might have been experiencing over the years. Shamanism has been interpreted as a set of rituals, maybe, it is time to view it as a religion. Just as Islam and Christianity have undergone through external pressures, surely shamanism must have experienced its share of