Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond

This book discusses how Amerindian epistemology and ontology, related to certain indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon, spread to Western societies, and how indigenous, mestizo, and cosmopolitan cultures have dialogued with and transformed these forest traditions. Special attention is given to the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca. Chapters reflect on how displaced indigenous people and rubber tappers are engaged in creative reinvention of rituals, and how these rituals help build ethnic alliances and cultural and political strategies for their marginalized position. The expansion of ayahuasca beyond its Amazonian origin instigated a variety of legal and cultural responses in diverse countries. The chapters address some of the ways these responses have influenced ritual design and performance in traditional and nontraditional contexts. The book also explores modernity’s fascination with “tradition” and the “other.” This phenomenon is directly tied to important contemporary issues in anthropology, such as the relationship between the development of ecotourism and ethnic tourism, recent indigenous cultural revivals, and the emergence of new ethnic identities. Another focus is on trends in the commodification of indigenous cultures in postcolonial contexts, and the combination of shamanism with a network of health and spiritually related services. The collection also addresses the topic of identity hybridization in global societies. It is hoped that this work will add to the understanding of the role of ritual in mediating the encounter between indigenous traditions and modern societies.