Abstract
Since the 1960s, shamanism has become one of the landmarks for a new way of life and a more respectful relationship of humans with nature in the Western world. Both researchers and practitioners regard the foundation of shamanism as being animism – an understanding of the connection of all living beings. The role of the community is highlighted in shamanism as the shaman is expected to work for his community. Shamanistic techniques vary according to the society or place where it is practised. In the study of neo-shamanism in the post-modern world, autoethnographic research has been seen as necessary, especially in order to explore the experience of the shaman. In this article we ask what has changed in the perceptions of the community in the study of shamanism and how this change has influenced the position of the researcher. Our article reflects on the resolution of the diversity and sameness through autoethnography, where the researcher is located not only in the experience, but also in its interpretation – which highlights great challenges in contextualizing the study, in writing on the concepts concerned, and indeed in the entire research process.
Highlights
Shamanism as a phenomenon has drawn researchers’ attention since the nineteenth century
To get a grip on this, we have reviewed how the position and methods of the researcher have changed in the study of shamanism over the years
When looking into the historical developments within the study of shamanism, it is possible to see a shift in the perspectives
Summary
Shamanism as a phenomenon has drawn researchers’ attention since the nineteenth century. We briefly examine the research of so-called traditional shamanism by taking our examples from the Finnish history of researching shamanism After this do we move on to look at the context of contemporary shamanism in more detail. As the shamanicpractitioner and teacher Jonathan Horwitz from the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies (SCSS) says in an interview (Kelly 2017: 98), shamanic knowledge can only be acquired through individual experience, which is ‘different from a dogma or a belief system’. He explains that ‘this is because shamanism is not a matter of belief, it is a matter of experience’ and ‘a spiritual path’. The authors’ autoethnographic data are included in the research material through research notes and diaries
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