Religião & Sociedade
December 1, 2014
Glauber Loures de Assis, Beatriz Caiuby Labate
24 citations
The expansion of the Santo Daime ayahuasca religion from the Amazon to the world is driven by its structural characteristics of psychoactivity and miscibility. This growth is part of a diasporic movement of religions from the global south, reflecting Brazil and Latin America's increasing role in the global religious landscape. The process has been conflict-ridden and tense in various locations, and it has produced several consequences for traditional Amazonian communities. The internationalization of Santo Daime illustrates contemporary religious controversies and ambivalences, stimulating debate on fundamental issues related to the global religious context and modernity itself.
Religião & Sociedade
December 1, 2017
Glauber Loures de Assis, Jacqueline Alves Rodrigues
11 citations
The article discusses the heritage-making process of ayahuasca, a psychoactive beverage of Amazonian origin used ritually by institutionalized religions such as Santo Daime, União do Vegetal, and Barquinha; indigenous peoples like the Yawanawa and Ashaninka; and a range of people from Peruvian vegetalistas to neo-shamans in large cities. Ayahuasca is shown to be polyphonic, polysemic, and polycentric, forming a true ayahuasca field marked by alliances and internal conflicts. The heritage process reveals a complex cartography where different epistemologies coexist and intense power disputes occur.
Transcultural Psychiatry
October 1, 2022
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Henrique Antunes, Glauber Loures de Assis et al.
7 citations
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian brew, reveals profound connections between indigenous philosophies and contemporary societal issues. In a study involving 150 participants, 78% reported enhanced emotional well-being post-ceremony, while 65% experienced shifts in their environmental ethics. Insights from anthropology and sociology highlight how psychedelics can reshape knowledge production and challenge prevailing notions of race and genetics. These findings underscore the potential of ayahuasca not only as a therapeutic tool but also as a catalyst for discussions in political science and production economics.
Ciências Sociais Unisinos
October 27, 2017
Glauber Loures de Assis, Beatriz Caiuby Labate
4 citations
The Barquinha, Santo Daime, and União do Vegetal—Brazilian ayahuasca religions founded in the 20th century—were confined to northern Brazil until the early 1970s. Since then, Santo Daime and União do Vegetal have expanded across Brazil and internationally, crossing borders and the Atlantic Ocean. Their internationalization involves complex transnational networks and alliances, raising questions about cultural translation and religious diaspora, yet the topic remains underexplored with fragmented scholarship. This article provides a critical literature review of the internationalization of these groups, including articles, theses, and legal texts in multiple languages. Using a comparative approach, it identifies key characteristics, trends, and gaps in ayahuasca studies, aiming to guide future research and highlight the interaction between psychedelics, religion, and culture.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
June 9, 2023
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova, Jordan Sloshower et al.
1 citation
The Drug Enforcement Administration's 2020 report on ayahuasca downplays the substance's safety and therapeutic potential while overemphasizing its risks, according to a critical analysis by scholars. The report omits current research demonstrating ayahuasca's potential benefits and contains factual omissions, theoretical biases, and misinterpretations of existing data. The critique was prompted by the DEA's 2023 disclosure of the report to the legal team of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, following FOIA requests submitted two years earlier by the church and Chacruna Institute.
Ponto Urbe
December 27, 2024
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova, Jordan Sloshower et al.
In February 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a 2020 report titled 'Ayahuasca: Risks to Public Health and Safety' to the legal team of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, following Freedom of Information Act requests. This article challenges several claims in the DEA report, highlighting factual omissions, theoretical biases, and misinterpretations of existing data. The authors argue that the report minimizes ayahuasca's safety profile and therapeutic potential while overemphasizing risks, and fails to include current research demonstrating its potential benefits.