Anthropology of Psychedelics
Anthropology of Consciousness April 20, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1111/anoc.70002 via OpenAlex
Summary
The anthropology of psychedelics has developed into a substantial subfield, primarily focusing on Indigenous uses and interactions with psychedelics in the Global North. However, there is a notable lack of diversity in this research, particularly regarding urban contexts where psychedelics are used widely. As interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics grows, there is an increasing need for cultural analyses that explore the non-pharmacological factors influencing psychedelic experiences.
Study at a glance
| Population | ethnographic studies on the use of psychedelics in the Global North |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The field of anthropology of psychedelics is robust but lacks diversity, focusing mainly on Indigenous uses and neglecting urban contexts. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Anthropologists have studied the use of psychedelic drugs across cultures for over a century; however, this literature has yet to be compiled. In providing a brief survey of ethnographic research produced in the Global North on the ‘classic psychedelics’, this article suggests that there not only exists a robust subfield that can be called the anthropology of psychedelics, but that the field also lacks diversity given that it predominately focuses on the Indigenous use of psychedelics or research at the intersection of Indigenous and Global North encounters. Accordingly, there exists a lacuna in the anthropology of psychedelics related to the widespread and variegated use of psychedelics in urban contexts across the Global North. As scientific research on the therapeutic aspects of psychedelics continues to gain momentum, the need for more cultural analyses on the extra‐pharmacological dimensions surrounding psychedelic drug experiences and their effects is in greater demand than ever.