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 Shamans and Religion An Anthropological Exploration in Critical Thinking
Alice Beck Kehoe
Selected as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2001 by Choice!
The word “shaman” has been used throughout the history of anthropology to describe indigenous healers around the world. In this outstanding text, Kehoe argues compellingly that the term is misused when applied to practitioners other than those from Siberia, where the term originated. Applying critical thinking techniques as a way of examining assumptions presented as fact, she deconstructs many commonly held notions of what shamanism is and isn’t, closely critiquing widely cited articles and books on the subject. The problems discussed bring up important anthropological questions not limited to the anthropology of religion. How does the ethnographer distance his or her own (usually Western) socialization when describing the empirical reality of a culture? How does the reader of the anthropological literature do the same when analyzing others’ writings? Kehoe maintains that critical thinking, long the fundamental method guiding both academic scholarship and pedagogy, helps answer these questions.
 $13.95 list, 125 pages 10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-162-1 13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-162-7 © 2001 “Kehoe gracefully mingles the big names of anthropological theory with juicy snippets of ethnography and anecdotes drawn from her own fieldwork. As a concise and inexpensive Waveland Press monograph, Shamans and Religion is clearly intended for classroom use.” —American Anthropologist
“In the plethora of books on shamanism, Alice Kehoe’s treatise stands out outstandingly. Not only does she provide a solid grounding in traditional anthropological understanding of shamanism, but she offers an informed critique of the essentialism embedded in Eliade’s misguided approach to the subject, as well as a welcome look at the cultural context of neo-shamanism in our not-so-modern world.” —Raymond D. Fogelson, University of Chicago
“Detailed, direct, passionate, and provocative, this short volume takes a colorful and exciting subject and uses the history of the use of ‘shamanism’ by anthropologists, religious historians, and new-agers to illustrate the process of critical thinking.” —Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Northern Arizona University
“The book is long overdue and should be required reading for all anthropology, social science, and art history students AND their instructors. Hooray for Alice!” —Karen Bruhns, San Francisco State University
“Kehoe is to be congratulated on an excellent discussion of a complex problem on several levels. It has caused me to think more carefully about the facts and the limits of generalization, and I hope it will cause others to do so as well.” —Alexander King, California State University, Chico
“A great read! It is full of information about shamans but is also a fine example of critical thinking. I enjoyed every word, and I think students will, too.” —Sarah Nelson, University of Denver
“Kehoe has produced a most enlightening and erudite analysis of Eliade’s work and the more general field of shamanic studies. At last somone in anthropology protesets against Eliade’s uncritical use of secondary and unreliable sources! This author gives a much more complex and sophisticated view of shamanism!” —Choice
Table of Contents
1. Real Shamans |
