Gender in Sámi Shamanism
Oxford Scholarship Online March 22, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190678821.003.0004
Summary
Shamans in Norway draw on historical narratives to shape contemporary understandings of gender, showing how religion serves as a key site for producing and reinforcing gender stereotypes. This analysis localizes religion and culture within a social and gendered reality, examining the interplay between past and present in the construction of gender roles.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Population | shamans in Norway |
| Key finding | Shamans in Norway use the past to construct narratives of gender in the present, illustrating how religion is central to the production and realization of gender stereotypes. |
Abstract
Religion is a core unit in terms of how gender stereotypes are produced and realized. By exploring how shamans in Norway use the past to construct narratives of gender in the present, my presentation in this chapter represents an attempt to localize religion and culture in a social and gendered reality.