Approaches to Amazonian Magic and Shamanism
Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly September 1, 1987 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1525/ahu.1987.12.3-4.91
Summary
Two books on Amazonian societies are reviewed. Brown's ethnography of the Aguaruna people examines magic as a system of meaning and social practice, arguing that magical acts are not irrational but coherent expressions of cultural logic. Taussig's work explores shamanism in Colombia, linking it to colonial history and the figure of the wild man, arguing that terror and healing are intertwined in the colonial encounter.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Both books argue that Amazonian magical and shamanic practices are meaningful cultural systems shaped by social and colonial contexts. |
Abstract
Michael F. Brown. Tsewa's Gift: Magic and Meaning in an Amazonian Society. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1986. 220 pp. $19.95 (cloth).Michael Taussig. Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man:. Study in Terror and Healing. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1987. xix plus 517 pp. $29.95 (cloth).