Shamanism and Its Discontents
Medical Anthropology Quarterly June 1, 1988 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1525/maq.1988.2.2.02a00020
Summary
The analysis of a shamanistic healing session among the Aguaruna Jívaro of Peru shows that the process is not just a simple exchange between shaman and patient, but involves multiple voices and influences. Clients actively shape the session's narrative, creating a complex atmosphere where political and medical themes intertwine. Although there may be some resolution during the session, the shaman's insights tend to transfer disorder from individual health issues to broader societal concerns.
Study at a glance
| Population | Aguaruna Jívaro of Peru |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The healing session is characterized by a polyphonic experience where clients compete with the shaman to influence the ritual's narrative. |
Abstract
Shamanistic healing is often represented in the anthropological literature as a dyadic transactional process in which the shaman helps the patient find meaning in the face of the disordering impact of an illness. A close textual analysis of a curing session among the Aguaruna Jívaro of Peru reveals that the experience created through the ritual is markedly polyphonic rather than dyadic, the clients subtly vying with the shaman to shape the session's discursive contours. While generating a highly charged atmosphere, the event's fusion of political and medical themes betrays the contradictions inherent in a belief system in which shamanism and sorcery are inescapably linked. While there may be a degree of symbolic closure in the session itself, the shaman's revelations only shift disorder from the body human to the body politic.