On the Antiquity of Shamanism and its Role in Human Religiosity

Sidky, Homayun

doi:10.1163/094330510x12604383550963

Cited by 14 publications

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“…14 Often, shamanism is held to be the original kind of religion/religiousness. See Sidky (2010) for a critique of such approaches. 15 See also Boyer 2002 who conceptualizes this process in terms of the formation of religious guilds.…”

Section: Differentiationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinctions, Differentiations, Ontology, and Non-humans in Theories of Religion

Stausberg

2010

Method Theory Study Religion

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This essay has four main parts. (1) Reviewing previous theories of religion, it suggests that it may be helpful not to conflate, a priori, the notions of (the) religious on the one hand and religion\s on the other, and that it may be useful to explore concepts such as (the) sacred and transcendence as independent yet related to the business of theorizing religion. (2) Distinguishing social/cultural from biological/genetic evolution, it outlines the occurrence of three processes/stages of the evolution of religious affairs and religions(s), here called attributive, structural, and functional differentiation respectively. While the first two processes/stages occurred in the remote and ancient past respectively, the third process/stage is typical of modernities and has by now globalized. (3) The article argues that recent criticisms of the validity of the category of religion are informed by a reverse sui generis approach characterized by a tacit claim that religion is an anomaly, by virtue of its supposedly being inherently different from similar concepts. The article suggests that John Searle's philosophy may throw light on the mode of existence (ontology) of religion as an example of social and institutional reality, as an intentionality-and observerrelative yet real and empowering structure. (4) In the final section, the article engages some lines of thinking of Bruno Latour's interpretation of Actor-Network-Theory, in particular the category of non-humans and the importance of things (objects) for social reality, including religion.

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Section: Differentiationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinctions, Differentiations, Ontology, and Non-humans in Theories of Religion

Stausberg

2010

Method Theory Study Religion

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“…alsoGeertz, 2009; on the example of 'shamanism' as a clash between historical data and neurotheological and psychological mythmaking, see now alsoSidky, 2010. …”

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confidence: 97%

Why philosophy and history matter: A conversation with Ann Taves

Stuckrad

2010

Religion

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a b s t r a c tThe article picks up some ideas that Ann Taves presents in her book Religious Experience Reconsidered, and looks at possible conversations that are not fleshed out in detail in Taves' book. In particular, it is argued that the disciplinary confrontation with philosophy and with historiography is of crucial importance if the disciplines of cognitive science and psychology of religion want to become in the future what they pretend to be nowda serious alternative and complement to the study of religion as we know it from other contexts, such as cultural studies and historiography.Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.In her brilliant and thought-provoking study Religious Experience Reconsidered, Ann Taves raises many important questions and provides a step-by-step argument for coming to terms with and finding solutions to problems that have long puzzled scholars of religion. Her attempt to bring cognitive scientists, sociologists, historians, and psychologists of religion into conversation with one another reveals the field's richness and the enormous potential that these discussions may have in the future.Religious Experience Reconsidered is a much needed contribution to the interdisciplinary study of religion that does not simply appreciate or take notice of research that is being carried out in other disciplines; interdisciplinary study of religion has to move from an exchange of knowledge to confrontation of perspectives and a critical reflection of the processes that lead to what we regard as acceptable knowledge (Kippenberg, 2005; on the academic study of religion's lack of 'science' and 'paradigms' in Kuhn's sense see also Segal, 2009). This challenges the autonomy and exclusivity of the discipline that goes under the name of the academic study of religion. Therefore, in engaging with cognitive theories and psychological approaches to religion Ann Taves also presents us with a strong and solid picture of how a study of religion can look like that is methodologically sound and analytically fruitful.Since I agree with Ann Taves on most of the points that she is making in her book, what follows is not a critique in a strict sense; rather, I want to pick up some of her ideas and look at possible conversations that are not fleshed out in detail in Taves' book. In particular, I want to demonstrate that the disciplinary confrontation with philosophy and with historiography is of crucial importance if the disciplines of cognitive science and psychology of religion want to become in the future what they pretend to be nowda serious alternative and complement to the study of religion as we know it from other contexts, such as cultural studies and historiography.Let me begin with a few remarks on what I would like to call powerful epistemes and forgotten philosophical knowledge. Distinguishing the definition of 'religion' from the definition of 'the objects of research for the academic study of religion' is a reasonable suggestion, if we are to avoid the calamities of defining a generic concept of relig...

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“…Religion and healing have long functioned in tandem. Some anthropologists purport that shamanism was the earliest form of religion, positing that shamans not only served as spiritual guides but as healers (Sidky 2010;Winkleman 2010). Through curing ceremonies, often appealing to supernatural forces, the social and physical well-being of the group was achieved.…”

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Doctor Death and Coronavirus: Supplicating Santa Muerte for Holy Healing

Kingsbury

2021

anthropologica

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Human beings have long turned to religion and faith healing to overcome illness and seek to delay death. In the context of the COVID‑19 pandemic, I consider how in Mexico, devotees of Santa Muerte are turning to the folk saint of death to ward off and recover from the virus. I argue that supplication of Santa Muerte during times of coronavirus offers a social critique on the current context in Mexico. The government has introduced budget cuts, reducing spending during this pandemic, and failed to provide adequate measures to protect already vulnerable citizens living in poverty and within the grips of the drug war, from COVID‑19. Frontline workers are labouring in unsafe conditions with inadequate protective equipment and protocols. As a result, the death toll has risen rapidly. Mexico is currently listed as having the fourth highest death rate. I describe how fearing death, many have turned to the saint of death for recovery from coronavirus and to prolong life. My argument also counters the popular portrayal of Santa Muerte as a narcosaint, that is to say a saint solely venerated by narcotraffickers. Instead, I reveal that she is a saint of healing.

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On the Antiquity of Shamanism and its Role in Human Religiosity

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

Distinctions, Differentiations, Ontology, and Non-humans in Theories of Religion

Distinctions, Differentiations, Ontology, and Non-humans in Theories of Religion

Why philosophy and history matter: A conversation with Ann Taves

Doctor Death and Coronavirus: Supplicating Santa Muerte for Holy Healing

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