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Thomas A. DuBoisThomas A. DuBois
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An Introduction to Shamanism Paperback – Illustrated, 14 May 2009
by Thomas A. Dubois (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (13)
Shamans are an integral part of communal religious traditions, professionals who make use of personal supernatural experiences, especially trance, as a resource for the wider community's physical and spiritual well-being.
This Introduction surveys research on the topic of shamanism around the world, detailing the archaeology and earliest development of shamanic traditions as well as their scientific 'discovery' in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth century colonization in Siberia, the Americas, and Asia.
It explores the beliefs and rituals typical of shamanic traditions, as well as the roles of shamans within their communities. It also surveys the variety of techniques used by shamans cross-culturally, including music, entheogens, material culture and verbal performance. The final chapters examine attempts to suppress or eradicate shamanic traditions, the revitalization of shamanism in postcolonial situations, and the development of new forms of shamanism within new cultural and social contexts.
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Review
'… the book stands out overall as one of the best of its kind.' Robert Wallis, Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture
Book Description
This Introduction surveys the beliefs, rituals and techniques found in shamanic traditions around the world.
About the Author
Thomas A. DuBois is the Birgit Baldwin Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he teaches in the fields of Scandinavian Studies, Folklore Studies and Religious Studies. He is author and editor of five books including Nordic Religions in the Viking Age (1999) and Sanctity in the North: Saints, Lives and Cults in Medieval Scandinavia (2008).
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From other countries
Jane T. Sibley
5.0 out of 5 stars Prof. DuBois does it again!
Reviewed in the United States on 29 August 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A number of years ago, I bought a copy of DuBois' "Nordic Religion in the Viking Age", which is one of the best books going on the topic. It includes information on Saami-Norwegian cultural exchange, which is definitely a part of the picture of pre-Christian religion in Norway, which a lot of other authors tend to ignore. Needless to say, this book is part of my "inner circle" of reference material.
Then imagine my surprise and delight to find out by surfing Amazon.com that he had another book out. I got it used, and it is perhaps the best and most in-depth study of world shamanistic practices that I have run across. If you are interested in shamanism, no matter the culture, run (don't walk) and buy this book! It is a fact-filled scholarly treatise, and not a "quickie-read" or New Age attempt at explaining shamanism. Prof. DuBois has done serious research here, and it shows. I am hoping that he will be coming out with another book soon; his work is tops in the field.
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Kathrin M. Wyss
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 13 September 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
a lot of information and background
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Reviewed in the United States on 10 June 2021
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Fascinating book - well researched and written.
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